Beto’s stoppage-time equaliser extended Everton’s unbeaten run to five matches to secure a 1-1 draw and deny Fulham a fourth straight victory at Goodison Park.
Everton were staring down the barrel of a Halloween haunting as former player Alex Iwobi gave the west Londoners a well-deserved opener after half-time, following a mazy run from Emile Smith Rowe.
In truth, Fulham should have put this game to bed long before Iwobi’s opener, with Smith Rowe and Adama Traore missing good chances in the first half. Fulham ended up having one goal from 14 chances.
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Alex Iwobi puts Fulham ahead at Everton.
Everton’s chances of grabbing an equaliser looked dashed when key player Dwight McNeil limped off with injury, leaving defender Michael Keane as a makeshift centre forward.
But with it being Halloween next week, it was only right that the Toffees would pull something out of the bag. Substitute striker Beto popped up late on as Ashley Young fired Iliman Ndiaye’s deep cross back across goal, leaving the forward with the simple task of heading home.
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Beto grabs a late equaliser for Everton against Fulham.
“The mentality is growing, you have to have that in the Premier League,” said Everton manager Sean Dyche. “We know we’re not the real deal, so how can we find different ways of operating so we can get a point and get a win?
“On a day where we weren’t close to where I want us to be. We kept going and got a point, and the mentality stayed strong to make sure we did that.
Fulham were denied the opportunity to jump up to eighth place yet sit in 10th spot, while Everton moved six points above the relegation zone.
Dyche: We weren’t close to where I want us to be
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Sean Dyche reacted to Everton’s 1-1 draw with Fulham and said that the performance from his players was not close to the level he expects and demands.
Everton manager Sean Dyche to Sky Sports:
“I like Fulham a lot and what they do, they have invested well, I like the manner of how they go about it. They set their stall out well and we didn’t. We were a long way short of where I think we can be and where we have been recently. We ended up getting a point and I’m pleased with that.
“We’ve had to grind and find a way. That’s sometimes the way the Premier League is. At Ipswich, we were very good, we controlled the game with the play, with and without the ball, and ended up deserved winners.
“Today, we didn’t deserve to win and we nicked a draw. But you have to do that in the Premier League and it’s about the relentless desire.
“The demand here is high. I’m used to it and I value it in a way It’s a big club and deserves to have a big demand. But we’ve been stretched constantly since pre-season, brought money in and lowered the wages, but the demands that we put on ourselves have to remain. That’s been evident.
“We had a real tough start of the season, it would have been easy for the noise to come in and cave. And we haven’t. The players and staff and stayed resolute.”
Analysis: More forward-line frustration for Fulham
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
After an unbeaten start to the campaign, Fulham have now gone three Premier League matches without a win. An inability to finish chances has cost them in every encounter.
At Manchester City, Adama Traore had three big chances but walked away with no goals as Fulham were beaten 3-1. Last weekend’s loss to Aston Villa saw the game hinge on Andreas Pereira’s missed penalty, which would have changed the course of the game had it been converted.
And now against Everton, Fulham missed chance after chance as they let the Toffees off the hook. Even before Alex Iwobi’s opener, they managed an Expected Goals tally of 1.0xG. They should have put the Toffees out of sight.
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Emile Smith Rowe misses golden opportunity to give Fulham lead.
If games were decided by xG, Fulham would be top of the Premier League this evening. They have that ability to control games and create pressure, especially from direct runners and precise crossing ability.
But despite Raul Jimenez, Emile Smith Rowe and Adama Traore being excellent creators, there are not enough goals in this Fulham team. Jimenez leads the way with four goals but Smith Rowe and Iwobi are the only other players in Marco Silva’s side with more than one.
With Brentford, Crystal Palace and Wolves in their next three games ahead of a difficult December, Fulham need to sort their shooting boots out.
Silva: We were better by a big difference, the result is unfair
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Fulham’s Marco Silva said their draw with Everton was an unfair result on his players as he felt they dominated the match at Goodison Park.
Fulham manager Marco Silva to Sky Sports:
“Everyone that was here or who watched the game on TV at home would have said the best team was Fulham from the first minute until the last minutes of the game.
“It’s clear we controlled all the game with the ball in our way, respecting the plan in what we wanted to do in the game. We started from the back and created chances.
“We had three or four clear chances in the first half, the second half was the same story. When you are so superior and so better than the opposition side, when you score the first we should have killed the game and make it 2-0.
“They reacted with central defenders up front and long balls and were really lucky. We sould have been better defending our box, our central defenders should have a closer impact and the result was really unfair for my players.
“They commit themselves to the game and the plan and it was the clear we were the better team on the pitch by a big difference.”
