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Match Report Fulham (1) 2-3 (3) Everton Premier League Match Day 09 at Craven Cottage Sunday 22nd November 2020    KO: 12:00 Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire) Live on BBC One

Fulham Striker Bobby De Cordova-Reid

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Calvert-Lewin continues to score, Everton continue to concede and Fulham continue to find spectacular ways to botch their penalties. What a peculiar and fun gathering at the building site down by the river.

It was an odd one, certainly. And odder still for the fact that it closed with Everton running down the clock in panic against a side who had chased shadows in the afternoon sun for more than an hour.

But that's just how Everton are at the moment, with an attack that can do wonderful things and a defence that always makes you think twice.

Which is why this game became a slog – they led 1-0 through Calvert-Lewin, before letting Fulham back in for 1-1, and they then went to 2-1 and 3-1 via a combination of Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure goals before somehow losing all control of this game.

Having escaped one goal when Ivan Cavaleiro became the third Fulham players to miss a penalty out of their past four – he kicked the ball against his standing foot and over, one game after the Ademola Lookman Panenka against West Ham – Ruben Loftus-Cheek clawed Fulham back to 3-2.

Fulham midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek

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While the pressure ultimately amounted to nothing, and no great chances, it was curious to see Everton flutter between domination and desperation so quickly. A better side than Fulham would have done enough to take at least a draw from those final 20 or so minutes.

But for Carlo Ancelotti, that is a consideration rather than a burden. They still claimed the three points and with it maintained the momentum of their brilliant striker Calvert-Lewin, whose 10 goals this season puts him joint even with the entire collective of Manchester City.

Better still, they have won after three straight defeats, which all occurred in the absence of Richarlison to suspension, and doubtless his return here brought the fizz back to the attack.

If only they could find a similar cure at the back – their run of conceding at least two goals a game now extends to six matches. That will sink them over time if it is not addressed.

The benefit in this case was that Fulham always looked more fallible.

Parker's ongoing, head-melting search for a more workable formula meant two changes to the side beaten by West Ham before the break, with Mario Lemina available again and picked ahead of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

In attack, Ivan Cavaleiro replaced Aleksandar Mitrovic – a tactical decision according to Parker, but also a reasonable response to the Serbian's inconsistencies.

Match Stats	Fulham	Everton
Goals	(1) 2	3 (3)
Scorers	De Cordova-Reid 15	Calvert-Lewin 01
	Loftus-Cheek 70	Calvert-Lewin 29
		Doucouré
,
Goal attempts	14	9
On target	6	7
Shooting Accuracy	43%	78%
Possession	53%	47%
Passes Success	85%	79%
Crosses Success	0%	0%
Corners	2	5
Tackles Success	58%	68%
Saves	4	4
Fouls	14	10
Offsides	2	3
Yellows	2	0
Reds	0	0
source: SkySports

Ancelotti's prime change among four was to recall Richarlison after a three-game ban which triggered the team's implosion. Gylfi Sigurdsson was replaced by Alex Iwobi, while Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina were brought in for Mason Holgate and Seamus Coleman.

The Italian also switched from a 4-3-3 to 5-2-3, with Iwobi stationed as a right wing-back. Iwobi's initial unease in the defensive brief here was significantly balanced by his success going forward, albeit against a side with an iffy habit of making good opposition look great.

Take the opening goal, which came after 42 seconds and was a puzzle of little Fulham mistakes.

The origin of the quickest strike of the season was a floated ball across the back sent in error by Tosin Adarabioyo.

It hung in the air too long and created immediate pressure on his team-mate, Ola Aina, who shuffled possession to Bobby Decordova-Reid. In the subsequent rush, he misplayed a pass, allowing Richarlison to intercept and charge past Joachim Andersen and crossing for Calvert-Lewin to finish. It was a third assist of the season for Richarlison, to go with three goals.

Fulham, to give them a slither of credit, fought back well. Decordova-Reid had one effort saved by Jordan Pickford, before getting another chance after a quick move between himself and Tom Cairney. With one touch off his left foot he was able to get space from Yerry Mina and it was an excellent strike off his right to beat Pickford.

From there, Everton mopped up with two good goals. The first came in several attractive stages, starting with the rotation of a dozen or so passes before Iwobi beat three men on the run.

He pulled back to James Rodriguez, who then played in Lucas Digne, and from there the ball went low to the near post for Calvert-Lewin to finish. An excellent goal; questionable defending in multiple phases.

The third, scored by Doucoure with a free header, followed a lovely ball by Rodriguez with the outside of his boot and a second precise cross from Digne. Everton were playing well and Fulham were helping them.

Richarlison missed a decent chance at the start of the second half before the comedy show of another Fulham penalty, when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was fouled by Ben Godfrey. Ivan Cavaleiro appeared to strike the ball against his standing foot, and in turn it spun over. They're starting to make penalties look harder than they are.

Loftus-Cheek pulled one back almost immediately afterwards, finishing via a Mina deflection after good work from Lookman, and from the ashes Fulham embarked on a 20-minute period of dominance. That they failed to create anything from the spell was a major missed opportunity.

Fulham: Areola, Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Robinson, Reed, Lemina (Anguissa 69), Decordova-Reid (Lotus-Cheek 58, Cairney (Mitrovic 58), Lookman, Cavaleiro

Unused substitutes: Rodak (GK), Odoi, Ream, Bryan

Goals:
De Cordova-Reid 15 (Second time lucky for Bobby Decordova-Reid as he hauls Fulham level. Cairney fires a pass into Decordova-Reid and he takes it perfectly in his stride, driving past Everton's static centre-backs into the box. And when a finish is needed he delivers it, rifling a low shot into the far corner past Pickford's outstretched leg. )

Loftus-Cheek 70 (Fulham finally get their goal and it's game on at Craven Cottage. Lookman takes the game to Everton, driving down the right before cutting a great ball back to Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He fires a low effort on target which takes a deflection off Mina that leaves Pickford with no chance. )

Booked: De Cordova-Reid (20,d), Robinson (56,f),

Everton: Pickford, Iwobi, Godfrey, Mina, Keane, Digne, Doucoure, Allan, Rodriguez (Davies 74), Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison (Sigurdsson 76)

Unused substitutes: Olsen (GK), Holgate, Gomes, Bernard, Tosun

Goals:
Calvert-Lewin 1 (What a start for Everton after 42 seconds! It's a disaster for Fulham as Decordova-Reid gifts possession to Richarlison in the final third and he makes an instant impact on his return to the Everton starting line-up. He drives to the byline and centres a teasing low ball that bobbles around before Dominic Calvert-Lewin bundles it home.)

Calvert-Lewin 29 (Sensational football from Everton as they restore their lead at Craven Cottage. Iwobi waltzes down the right, skips around three defenders and picks out James on the edge of the box, who shifts it out to Digne on the overlap. He centres a brilliant ball that is begging to be converted, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin duly obliges.)

Doucoure 35 (Everton are having so much joy down the wings and freedom down the wings, and they cash in to open up a two-goal lead. Digne is the provider again, putting the ball on a sixpence from the left as the unmarked Abdoulaye Doucoure nods home his first Everton goal from six yards. Fulham defending non-existent, but take nothing away from the Toffees.)

Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)

Attendance: 0