When I saw footage of the away end at Fulham I was jealous. I was not able to get to Craven Cottage on Saturday but when I saw the fun the travelling support were having before, during and after the game it just looked amazing.
It looked so good, particularly after Everton took the lead in the second half, but I have to admit I had not expected the Blues to be celebrating when the line-ups dropped at 1.45pm. Going to Fulham is often difficult and seeing the absence of Jake O’Brien through injury was an early blow.
My expectations dropped even further through the early stages of the game as Fulham took the lead and looked the better side. Everton were too passive, too slow, and with little to play for the team looked liked one that had already pulled out their flip-flops.
The hosts took advantage and I was really disappointed with Raul Jimenez’s goal. It came from a lack of pressing, players not tracking runners and not being aggressive enough. It was too easy for Emile Smith-Rowe to find space in the Everton area and Jimenez’s goal had been coming.
As bad as the start was, the players did stick at it. The equaliser was a major slice of luck but it did come from doing the basics well. That is an important point and one I want to labour. I have lamented Everton’s struggle to do simple things well in this column on so many occasions. One point I often come back to is how poor Everton’s throw-ins are.
Goodbye Goodison Park - Souvenir edition
Everton are soon set to say goodbye to Goodison Park as the Toffees play out their final few matches in their iconic home before moving to their incredible new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
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Well, Vitalii Mykolenko’s game-changing goal came from a long throw. It is not always about winning the first ball, it is about applying pressure and winning the second. That is what happened - the deflection was fortunate but the opportunity came from asking a question we rarely ask of the opposition.
The equaliser came at the perfect time and would have transformed David Moyes’ teamtalk. I don’t know what he said but his players emerged from the dressing room a different side - they were more aggressive, showed more desire. They showed more quality too.
Fulham still had chances but then appeared to run out of ideas. The substitutes strengthened Everton further and the goal came from - again - doing the simple things well.
Everton’s set pieces have been poor for months but with Dwight McNeil then on the pitch, they finally had their best set piece taker available. The goal came from his great corner and Michael Keane’s header showed what can happen when you have someone who can use the deadball effectively. When you do the basics well, you are often rewarded. The same is even true of Beto’s goal. It was not the best strike and Bernd Leno will be disappointed but the Everton striker took his effort early - he asked a question and got his reward.
I was then pleased with another part of Everton’s approach they have struggled with this season. Ipswich Town the weekend before was the fourth time Everton had thrown away a two-goal lead this season. Fulham are a capable side and needed to win on Saturday but Everton managed the game effectively and did not allow them to get back into it.
When the line-ups dropped I was worried and those concerns played out over the first 45 minutes. By sticking at it and doing the basics well, Everton ended up grabbing an important win and that away end looked fantastic - I truly was jealous of those lucky enough to be there.
