Frustration was the order of the day for Marco Silva as Fulham were denied a return to winning ways by Beto’s headed equaliser in the fourth minute of added time at Goodison Park. Alex Iwobi’s excellent strike looked to have clinched the points against his former employers, but Fulham paid the penalty for not putting the game beyond Sean Dyche’s side as they dropped deeper and deeper in the dying embers of a largely forgettable contest.
Beto’s late rescue act made that Silva’s side have now dropped ten points from winning positions this season. This result felt similar to the draw against West Ham in September, when Danny Ings popped up deep into stoppage time, especially as the Whites had made much of the running and controlled possession – completing quietening the Goodison roar until Dyche’s makeshift strike force of Beto, once rumoured to be a Fulham transfer target, and centre half Michael Keane conjured up an unlikely equaliser.
Chances were at premium in a cagey opening period, with Fulham keeping the ball effortlessly but struggling to create clear cut openings. Raul Jimenez forced Jordan Pickford into a pair of smart saves before Adama Traore tested the England goalkeeper with an angled effort across goal. Everton failed to deal with the rebound, which allowed Andreas Pereira to clip a cross the back post. Jimenez climbed highest and sent it across goal, where Smith Rowe spooned a simple volley over the bar.
Everton believed they had hit the front from their next attack when Idrissa Gueye lashed a long-range effort against the bar. Calvert-Lewin followed up but his finish was ruled out for offisde. Fulham responded with further surges forward of their own. Their sense of adventure was typified by the tireless running of Kenny Tete from right back. The full back beat two men on a brilliant run before smash opened up for him and he shot wide of goal. Iwobi spooned over awkwardly at the back post after lively approach play as the visitors finished on the front foot.
The pattern continued after the interval with Pereira coming close to giving Fulham lead, but his shot on the turn after excellent interplay between Smith Rowe and Jimenez. Silva’s side were now stepping onto their hosts and seizing possession higher up the pitch. That approach paid dividends just after the hour mark when Smith Rowe seized on a defensive mistake to saunter away from three tacklers, carrying the ball to the edge of the box. He slipped a smart pass to Iwobi, who hit a fine shot past Jordan Pickford.
Everton immediately looked to respond but they found Fulham in miserly mood and the introduction of fresh legs made the visitors dangerous on the break. Reiss Nelson drove deep into the box and Smith Rowe saw a shot blocked, but the decisive moment came in the other penalty area. Grumbles from the home fans greeted Sean Dyche’s decision to replace Calvert-Lewin with Beto whilst Silva switched to three centre backs. The former Fulham transfer target gave the home side a target man they had lacked for much of the second half, even if it took Dyche pushing Michael Keane forward to make the difference. Leno made a fine diving save from one Beto header, but the Guinea-Bisseau international was not to be denied four minutes into added time. None of Fulham’s defenders acted quickly enough to snuff out the danger when the lively Iliman N’Diaye stood up a cross to the far post. 39 year-old Ashley Young sent it back across goal and there was Beto to guide in an equaliser.
Silva looked speechless at the end. You can certainly understand why.
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Young, Mykolenko, Tarkowksi, Keane; Gaye, Doucoure (Mangala 80); Harrison (Lundstrom 68), Ndiaye, McNeill; (Branthwaite 86) Calvert-Lewin (Beto 81).. Subs (not used): Virginia, Patterson, Coleman,, O’Brien, Armstrong.
BOOKED: Tarkowksi.
GOAL: Beto (90+4).
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, A. Robinson, Diop, Bassey; Berge, Pereira (Wilson 79); Traore (Nelson 68), Iwobi (Cuenca 90+2), Smith Rowe (Reed 79); Jimenez (Muniz 90+2). Subs (not used): Benda, Sessegnon, King, Cairney.
BOOKED: Iwobi.
GOAL: Iwobi (51).
REFEREE: John Brooks (Leicestershire).
ATTENDANCE: 38,742.
I don’t know what game you were watching, but I didn’t see ESR “drilling a low shot beyond Bernt Leno”.
Dan , perhaps you should revise your report.
I am just upset to see the boys gave up goals in the injury time again !!!!.Need sorting out here .Why bring in Reed and Cuenca in the 94 min when Everton did not do shit all game !! I do not understand!!
My reservations about Tete have played out again.
He let’s hss man get crosses that ought to be blocked. Thus needing his mated to cover for him or the other side gets an opportunity on goal eg. the tying goal.
His interplay with Traore is poor in either quality of passing or timing of same – resulting in others left with low per centage play and u justified criticism.
And he tends to ball watch on corners.
I do not understand when Castagne is a better option.
The Smith Rowe mazy run to set up Iwobi’s goal was excellent.
But, in truth, it was all he did in the entire game. His first half performance and pathetic first touches were so poor that he actually made Pereira look good.
Two points thrown away after a game that we dominated -without any real edge.
Everton, let’s be honest, despite Marco Silva’s astonishing build up pre-game, were woeful and we were several levels up from them. We should have won this game hands down.
Apart from an awful back pass at the end of the first half, Sander Berge had his best game in a Fulham shirt (finally) and Tete and Diop had really good games, supported admirably by Leno and Bassey. Shame that Issa will, inevitably, have to step down for the Brentford game.
So frustrating to drop points against inferior teams but, at least, we didn’t lose, I guess.
Iwobi is not a left winger. Sick of saying it and Nelson deserves a start in that position. Please don’t have him as a permanent sub, Marco. He is a natural left winger and it will be a waste if doesn’t get a chance from the start.
Iwobi can move over to the right or take either Pereira or Smith Rowe’s place-though why I am saying this, I don’t know.
Silva will stick with the same group until the cows come home.
We dominated the game Everton were not very good but we gave a good performance but not a great performance, can any body tell me why after attacking for the majority of the game why bring on Reed and Cuenca it looked very cramped in the defence why do we always do this the problem was perhaps only 1-0 it trying to defend a one goal lead at this level is suicide and we payed the price we must score more goals then we won’t have the Corporal Jones moment near the end as already pointed out ESR only had the one moment for the goal thought Adama was not very good this time maybe it’s time to start Nelson and leave Adama has an impact sub Sander Berge did Ok but needs to improve quickly I wobi was very good today and Diop came in and looked Ok too,must score more goals though won’t mention Perreira this time but as already mentioned ESR made Perreira look good
So glad I support Fulham. Can you imagine watching Everton every week whose only tactic seems to be constantly launch the ball in the air like League 2 teams.
We should have put the game to bed. We were by far the best team. Nobody had a bad game but nobody shone. Why does Marco feel the need to make subs in the dying moments, it just upsets the rhythm and they don’t have time to adjust to the pace of the game.
Hi Martin – the error in the description for Fulham’s goal is my fault. Dan wrote the report on his way back from Goodison and then noticed a couple of literals in his copy. I changed the wrong paragraph whilst writing up the post-match quotes and also butchered his description of Everton’s equaliser.
Apologies for giving the impression that Emile scored the Fulham goal. He definitely didn’t and I’ve corrected it all now.
To be honest, i don’t know if to criticise Silva for finishing the game with 5 defenders and 2 holding midfielders. With hindsight, it is obvious that bloating our back with players and inviting the opposition into our box actually backfired. However, being 1 up, away from home with only minutes remaining what would you have done? Pity, it was not a great performance, bit it seemed enough to earn us three points away from home. Surely we played much better than Everton, and if we were clinical enough our second goal would have surely won us the match. I am still not totally convinced with Smith Rowe, he seems to only shine in moments. Berge looked better today against such physical opponents, however he still looks lanky and slow. The back line played well, including error prone Diop. I do not agree with the criticism of Tete, the cross that lead to the goal came from his area but at the 94 min no onr had tried more than him. All in all, nothing to be desperate about, we just need a bit more luck and belief.