Everton eventually overcame Fulham in the latest Premier League game to win 3-0 and record their second victory of the season.
After a somewhat subdued first half Everton were much better after the break and went on to maintain their extraordinary home record against the west London side.
I said previously this was probably a must-win match for the Blues and perhaps just as important as the three points for the Toffees was the fact the team didn’t concede and kept a clean sheet for the first time this season.
The Blues have been giving away goals all through this campaign and to come out of this game without letting another one in, is certainly progress. Hopefully this result will boost defensive confidence going forward.
The game started slowly and there were few clear-cut early chances although Fulham probably had the better of the first 45 minutes. Andre Schurrle and then Ryan Sessegnon missed great chances.
Everton hadn’t really offered any serious attacking threat as half-time approached, other than a Theo Walcott effort saved by Fulham keeper Marcus Bettinelli.
But the Blues upped their tempo and attacking effort after half-time and it quickly brought rewards.
Several chances were spurned before Everton won a penalty for a foul on Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Match officials have not been particularly helpful to Everton’s cause recently but this time the Blues got the decision. Gylfi Sigurdsson though missed the spot-kick and let Fulham off the hook.
However the Icelandic international soon made amends and opened the scoring for the Toffees.
Everton were now well on top and they continued to create chances before a Walcott cross gave Cenk Tosun the chance to finally open his account for the team this term.
Tosun is a popular player and whatever his limitations he does try to make things happen, something supporters appreciate. And so this goal was greeted with relief both by the player and many Blues fans as well.
With a few minutes to go Sigurdsson added a third to complete what turned out in the end to be a fairly routine win for the home team.
Two players who have had frustrating starts to this season were able to make important contributions. Sigurdsson had a fine match overall and Tosun came on for Calvert-Lewin and made it count netting his first goal.
In truth though it’s hard to tell very much about where the Blues latest re-building project is from games like this. Fulham were poor in the second half and offered very little goal threat in that period. Sterner tests will come.
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Everton were very much on the front foot, pressing well and turned what might have become a frustrating draw into a win, something they haven’t managed recently.
So after a couple of frustrating defeats, the Toffees, eventually, produced a strong performance to return to winning ways. Now can the team build on the win and the clean sheet in the upcoming matches?
Everton’s next game comes in a Carabo Cup tie against Southampton on Tuesday night. The League Cup represents a good opportunity for Everton to try and reach a final and win a trophy at last.
Let’s see if they can re-produce that combination of goals and defensive solidity against the Saints.