Match Report

Beto stepped off the bench and headed home a dramatic late equaliser as Everton salvaged what had looked to be an unlikely draw against vibrant Fulham.

The Blues had laboured though 90-plus minutes of dire and woefully ineffective football and were heading towards a fourth successive home defeat to the Cottagers on the back of Alex Iwobi’s goal but managed to grab a point deep into stoppage time.

Sean Dyche had thrown Michael Keane up front to partner Beto as Everton chased the game and the late push was rewarded when the Portuguese found himself in the right place to convert Ashley Young’s centre.

The pre-match discussion had revolved around the manager’s decision to leave Jarrad Branthwaite on the bench, preferring to stick with the central-defensive partnership of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane in what was an unchanged starting XI from the side that had started at Ipswich last year.

But Everton looked inferior in almost all departments, were out-manoeuvred by former boss Marco Silva’s men for long stretches of this match and though they had the ball in the net for a goal that was chalked off for offside, they were fortunate to go into the break level at 0-0.

Tarkowski allowed Raul Jimenez to control Kenny Tete’s early cross and the Mexican striker’s snapshot was saved by Jordan Pickford and the keeper was called into action in the 25th minute when Vitalii Mykolenko’s awful giveaway let Adama Traore in but Pickford beat his strong shot away and Emile Smith Rowe volleyed Jimenez’s header over the crossbar.

The hosts belatedly started to show some attacking life after the half-hour mark and they put together their best move of the contest thus far. Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucouré and were all involved before Idrissa Gueye smacked the underside of the crossbar with a wonderful shot and Dominic Calvert-Lewin rapped home the rebound, only to be flagged offside.

The two sides then traded blows through the remainder of the first period. Tete shrugged off three Everton players on a long run that ended with a poor shot that he lashed over while Calvert-Lewin’s attempted header back across goal at the other end bounced off Sander Berge.

Jimenez easily turned Mykolenko but saw his effort blocked before Iwobi half-volleyed Traore’s cross over when well-placed while, in between, Everton’s Ukrainian full-back put in a brilliant cross that McNeil could only power into Bernd Leno’s arms.

With Fulham confident on the ball and incisive with their passing through midfield, Everton often paled in comparison, their route-one tactics becoming an increasing source of frustration for the Goodison crowd.

The Toffees’ fans had to wait until the 82nd minute for their team’s first genuine chance of the second half when substitute Jesper Lindstrom’s deflected shot was saved low by Leno.

Prior to that, Everton had survived a scare when Andreas Pereira screwed a shot across goal but then fallen behind with an hour gone thanks to abysmal defending by three of their most experienced players.

Young missed his tackle on Smith Rowe who took advantage of space ahead of him to drive forward and feed Iwobi and with both Keane and Tarkowski backing off, the former Blues player had time to pick his spot with a strike inside Pickford’s right-hand post.

The Everton keeper had to parry a low cross by Antonee Robinson and was fortunate that Smith Rowe didn’t gamble on Iwobi’s volleyed pass across the face of goal shortly afterwards before Jimenez blasted narrowly over with 12 minutes left.

That was Dyche’s cue to make his second change of the afternoon by removing Doucouré and Calvert-Lewin in favour of Orel Mangala and Beto and within 10 minutes, the former Udinese striker had forced a corner with a blocked shot and at least made Leno make a save with a header that was searching out the bottom corner ether side of McNeil's forced withdrawal due to a knee injury.

Beto’s moment to genuinely shine came four minutes into time added on, though. Everton had piled men forward trying to force home a late leveller, Ndiaye’s deep cross fell to Young in space off the back post and with a cushioned volleyed cross he found Beto unmarked to head past Leno before haring off to wildly celebrate.

Clenching his fists, yelling to the heavens and then beating the turf, the emotion poured out of the Portuguese and he left the field at the end with his shirt over his head to mask tears of relief and joy at having seized his opportunity.

For Dyche, the late drama was a reflection of the never-say-die mentality he has instilled in his side but it couldn’t mask the glaring deficiencies in Everton’s performance, which was painfully one-dimensional and, the silky skills of Ndiaye aside, lacking in guile and invention.

The manager will point, however, to another game where his men avoided defeat and which extended the Toffees’ unbeaten run to five matches.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton took on former boss Marco Silva and his half-decent Fulham under the lights, with Beto stealing a very late goal after Alex Iwobi had given them the lead.

Branthwaite returns but is only on the bench as Sean Dyche names an unchanged starting XI. Garner, Chermiti, Iroegbunam and Broja are all out injured.

Fulham got the game underway, Tarkowski and Mykolenko both having to defend stoutly early on. Robinson had the measure of Calvert-Lewin as Ndiaye played the ball out on the other side of the pitch. Good challenging by McNeil was punished as a foul.

Traore got in a good cross that Jiminez was able to direct toward Pickford. McNeil did well to put a deep ball up for Calvert-Lewin who collapsed pathetically as soon as Bassey came near him. Absolutely not a penalty!

Everton had settled into their normal pattern of looking to thwart the opposition and perhaps play forward on the break, with Fulham dominating possession. Pereira almost got a chance to shoot but the ball was taken off him. 

Everton were struggling to contain the visitors and couldn't really get forward, Doucoure easily giving up the ball. When it did go forward quickly from Pickford, Calvert-Lewin was flagged offside. Ndiaye did win a foul, McNeil's ball headed back to Leno by Iwobi.

Fulham came even closer first Traore thwarted by Pickfr, then Smith Rowe volleying over from close range. Everton finally got forward after 29 minutes Harrison forcing their fit corner that was easily defended at the near post. Another long ball was held up by Calvert-Lewin until Bassey easily stalled him. 

Everton got forward again and the ball back out to Gana was struck well, bouncing down off the bar, and turned in by Calvert-Lewin... but immediately flagged offside – although it was tight. 

Everton built another decent attack, Harrison looping over a cross a little too high for Calvert-Lewin to put any power on the header but it won a corner. Everton worked it around well, Keane winning another corner. But this one didn't get above waist height.

Fulham broke at pace and, after some turnovers, Jiminez had another chance to shoot but Keane was back to help clear. It was a much more frenetic and even game now, each team threatening. Ndiaye put in a strong cross but it did not reach Calvert-Lewin.

A brilliant Everton move, Mykolenk's fantastic cross was headed strongly but straight at Leno. Quick transition to the other end and Traore's tricky cross won Fulham a corner, headed away powerfully by Keane. Fulham recycled the ball and Diop's header looped across and over Pickford's goal.

Another great cross from Traore, who was getting acres of pace, fell off Jimenez to Iwobi who thankfully wellied it high and wide from close range. At the other end, a ball looped in toward Calvert-Lewin but a defender scoped it away off his toe to end what had become quite a lively spell of half-decent football.

It was a slow start to the second half with sloppy play by both sides and a lot of turnovers. A long ball forward was just far enough ahead of Jiminez for Pockford to collect.

But Fulham attacked again and Traore won a corner off Mykolenko. However, Gana nipped in brilliantly to stall the short corner routine and eventually dribbled his way smartly out of trouble. 

Traore advanced again but Mykolenko and Doucoure worked well to take the ball off him. Fulham attacked from the left side but Mykolenko was in the right place to clear. But The Cottagers kept up the pressure, Pereria screwing his shot across goal and wide. 

A brilliant cameo dribble by Ndiaye led to nothing as the pendulum kept swinging, the game on something of a knife-edge, with either side capable of but so far eschewing a real scoring move, and both surrendering precious possession at will. 

Ndiaye fed Mykolenko well but his cross was too close to and gobbled up by Leno.  At the other end, Alex Iwobi drove goalward unchallenged and simply struck the ball well, beating Pickford low to his right to give Fulham the lead.

At the other end, a ball looked like falling nicely for Harrison but he sliced it dreadfully. Ndiaye tried his dribbling tricks again, the ball just going out of play. 

Iwobi started a great Fulham move, Pickford parrying Robinson's low cross that was too close to the Everton keeper. Pereira was called for a strong tackle on Gana that won the ball as both sides make a change each. 

Nelson did well to cross to Iwobi who crossed back in very dangerously and Doucoure somehow got his heel to flick the ball away from Smith Rowe. Everton tried to build an attack in response but they had rarely got close to Leno's goal. 

Pickford punted the ball up to Ndiaye who was criminally offside, with Fulham's back line to look along. Everton were huffing and puffing but the requisite quality was sadly lacking. Young's punt up the line was shockingly poor, and it set up Nelson to turn him again and scamper back into the Everton area, Gana tackling him brilliantly. 

Smith Rowe looked to have fouled Gana but it wasn't called and Tarkowski was livid, fouling his man and getting a needless yellow card. Everton attacked but it broke down and Fulham surged forward again, one shot hitting Keane, the next screwing wide from Jiminez.  

Dyche made an almost unprecedented two late changes. Lindstrom saw the goal open up before him but his shot lacked any power and was grabbed by Leno, McNeil going down and needing treatment, Branthwaite finally coming on with less than 5 minutes left, with Keane moving to striker alongside Beto.

Beto put Bassey and Leno under pressure. He then battled forward to win a corner but it was utterly and absolutely iniquitous from Lindstrom. 

Mykolenko put in a decent cross but Beto could not get a clean header on it and Leno saved it easily. 6 minutes added on and Everton now desperate to avoid defeat. But the repeated turnovers were shockingly poor. 

A ball up to Keane but his headed cross was met by nobody. But a Mykolenko cross was sent back into the mix by Ashley Young and there was Beto to nod it down and in — a superb goal… finally!!!

A late free-kick put pressure on Everton, Reed lashing the final kick of the game over Pickford's goal, as Everton steal a point at the death.

Everton: Pickford; Mykolenko, Keane, Tarkowski [Y:76'], Young; Ndiaye, Doucoure (80' Mangala), Gueye, Harrison (68' Lindstrom); McNeil (85' Branthwaite); Calvert-Lewin (81' Beto).

Subs not Used:: Virginia, N Patterson, O'Brien, Coleman, Armstrong.

Fulham:  Leno, Tete, Bassey, Diop, Robinson, Berge, Pereira (79' Wilson), Traore (68' Nelson), Smith Rowe (79' Reed), Iwobi (90+2' Cuenca), Jimenez (90+2' Muniz).

Subs not Used: Benda, King, Cairney, Sessegnon.

Referee:  John Brook
VAR:  Stuart Atwell

Attendance:  38,742

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton hope to keep building on their recent good form when they take on former boss Marco Silva and Fulham under the lights in the early-evening kick-off this Saturday.

The Blues are on a four-match unbeaten run, have put some distance between themselves and the bottom three, and victory over Fulham this weekend would bring them level on points with the Cottagers ahead of back-to-back away games against Southampton and West Ham Utd.

It is expected that Jarrad Branthwaite will return to the starting XI for this one having been primed to make his return from a minor quad injury when Everton travelled to Ipswich last weekend.

However, with Michael Keane and good form at the back and contributing wonder goals at the other end of the pitch, it is by no means guaranteed that the young defender walks back into the starting XI.

Indeed, few changes are anticipated by Dyche who prefers a consistent line-up when the majority of his players are fit and that will likely see Ashley Young continue at right-back at the expense of Nathan Patterson and Abdoulaye Doucouré keep his place in midfield alongside Idrissa Gueye.

Jesper Lindstrøm is available again now both he and Beto are over their illnesses but Jack Harrison can be confident of his retaining his right-wing berth with the rest of the front four unchanged.

Having had such an awful record at Goodison Park for the best part of 60 years, Fulham have become something of a bogey team for Everton of late, on winning each of their last three visits to L4 in the Premier League and triumphing in the last eight of the Carabao Cup in that disappointing penalty shootout last December.

They have also found some form of their own after a mixed start to the season, beating Newcastle Utd at Craven Cottage a month ago and winning at the City Ground before giving champions Manchester City a scare at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month.

Silva’s side took the lead and threatened to deny City a point when Rodrigo Muniz made it 3-2 late on and they demonstrated their attacking threat throughout.

Raul Jimenez is back in goalscoring form, Adama Traoré’s pace and power is an ever-present danger even if his end product isn’t always reliable, Antonee Robinson offers offensive production down the left flank, and both Emile Smith Rowe and former Blue Alex Iwobi are creative outlets behind the striker.

All have the potential to hurt Everton on the day but Fulham’s defence can be vulnerable and it will be without one of its first-choice starters in the form of Joachim Andersen who is suspended for the trip to Goodison.

With the pressure off now that Dyche appears to be righting the ship after Everton’s poor start to the campaign, this is an opportunity to play with a bit of freedom, express themselves, and establish their mid-table credentials.

Fulham will provide tricky opposition but, if the Toffees play to their potential in all departments, there’s no reason why they can’t record a second successive victory in the Premier League for the first time in 2024-25.

Kick-off: 5:30 pm, Saturday 26 October 2024
Referee: John Brooks
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Last Time: Everton 0 - 1 Fulham

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gueye, Doucouré, Harrison, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin

Lyndon Lloyd

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