Gueye along with Keane find the net as Everton defeat the Cottagers
The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.
The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.
No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.
The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.
Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.
The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.
The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.
Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.
Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.
