Idrissa Gueye And Michael Keane On Target As Everton Sink Fulham

The onus is not only connected Everton’s goal-shy strikers to move promising play into points, David Moyes had insisted earlier Fulham’s visit. “I want much goals from my centre-halves and midfielders arsenic well,” nan Everton head said. Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged to present a deserved triumph complete Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s 2nd triumph successful 9 matches was comparatively comfortable arsenic Fulham demonstrated why their starring scorer this play is guidance ain goals. A little flurry successful nan 2nd half aside, nan visitors were subdued passim by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ squad had 3 goals disallowed for offside too, but a poacher’s decorativeness from Gueye successful first-half stoppage clip and Keane’s precocious conversion ensured location would beryllium nary reprieve for nan erstwhile Everton manager.

No subordinate needed a extremity much than Thierno Barry, nan young Everton striker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a changeable connected target aft his £27m summertime presence from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his squad 2-0 up astatine Sunderland connected Monday. The 23-year-old headed nan first opportunity of nan crippled complete Bernd Leno’s crossbar erstwhile picked retired by Iliman Ndiaye’s good cross.

Everton dominated nan early exchanges and nan Fulham goalkeeper tipped complete James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded aft Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped nan aforesaid subordinate later successful nan half but nan referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a 2nd yellow. Silva was taking nary further chances, however, and withdrew nan midfielder astatine nan interval.

Barry thought his luck had yet turned erstwhile sliding successful astatine nan backmost station to person a debased transverse by Gueye. But nan joyousness of a first Everton extremity was erased by an adjunct referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside erstwhile attacking, and missing, Gueye’s transverse astatine nan adjacent station and nan video adjunct referee backed up nan on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune whitethorn person continued successful beforehand of extremity but his wide show justified Moyes’ determination to support nan faith. His activity and work-rate occupied Fulham’s cardinal defenders and helped springiness Everton nan separator throughout.

Michael Keane makes nan points safe pinch Everton’s 2nd goal. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Fulham came into nan title gradually pinch Sander Berge and erstwhile Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi moving good successful midfield but nan first half threat from nan visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez changeable tamely astatine Jordon Pickford erstwhile teed up wrong nan area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a vulnerable position consecutive into nan Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven connected by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a 2nd extremity disallowed for offside erstwhile Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed successful nan rebound. The location skipper had conscionable strayed offside erstwhile heading connected Jack Grealish’s transverse successful nan buildup. But Everton’s 3rd effort past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a beautiful transverse to nan backmost station erstwhile recovered successful abstraction connected nan near by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it pinch a thumping header against nan barroom and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines astatine nan rebound, his midfield partner Gueye followed successful down to person from adjacent range. The alleviation wrong Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The location broadside had a 3rd extremity ruled retired early successful nan 2nd half aft Dewsbury-Hall recovered nan bottommost area from different inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned nan transportation into Barry, who was offside erstwhile challenging Joachim Anderson for nan touch that fell to nan Everton midfielder. Everton would person to hold until nan 81st infinitesimal for nan comfortableness of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was nan supplier pinch a area that Keane glanced complete Leno. He did truthful pinch nan backmost of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s broadside carried much of a threat pursuing nan introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved good pinch his legs to forestall Muniz scoring pinch his first touch and denied Traore pinch different important