Match Preview
Fulham vrs Everton
Premier League Match Day 13 22/23 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 29th October 2022 KO: 17:30
Referee:
John Brooks (Leicestershire)
Live on Sky
|
Matt Law
Saturday evening's Premier League action comes from Craven Cottage, when an impressive Fulham side host Everton.
Fulham boss Marco Silva will face his former employers for the first time since he was sacked by the Toffees in December 2019.
Silva's side have been the biggest overachievers by far in the Premier League so far this season.
Eighteen points from their opening 11 matches sees them lying in seventh currently, with five wins to their name already, the same number they recorded when they were last in the top flight two seasons ago under Scott Parker.
They put the final nail in Steven Gerrard's coffin at Aston Villa when they defeated them 3-0 last midweek, before scoring three again at the weekend to win at Leeds United.
Goals have been widely spread around the team, but the form of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andreas Pereira in particular, has been paramount in them scoring 22 goals up to this point, with only the top three having notched more.
That is in huge contrast again to their 2020-21 season, where they scored just 27 across the entire campaign.
They have sacrificed defensive solidity to be so potent in attack though, something often associated with a Marco Silva side, because despite scoring so freely, they still do not have a positive goal difference.
Only Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bournemouth have let in more goals, so if the goals dry up for Fulham, they may find themselves in a spot of bother.
Meanwhile, it has taken 12 matches, but Everton have finally put on a performance which showcases what their squad is truly capable of under Frank Lampard, following a superb display in their 3-0 success over Crystal Palace last Saturday.
They were in complete control from the first whistle until the last for arguably the first time in a match since Carlo Ancelotti left the club in the summer of 2021.
Their defensive work has been largely faultless for much of the season, with Conor Coady and James Tarkowski bringing Everton some of the defensive nous they have not had since David Moyes was at the helm, but this time their attacking work finally clicked into place in front of a raucous crowd at Goodison Park.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin put in the kind of performance which earned him a spot in England's Euro 2020 squad, and the electrifying energy and skill showed by players like Alex Iwobi, Amadou Onana and Anthony Gordon on the day saw Everton look supreme in the final third for the first time this season.
Wins over Southampton and West Ham United were closely fought affairs, but it was a comfortable victory last week which saw them pick up a crucial three points considering how many sides in the bottom half won on gameweek 12.
Just seven points separate Liverpool in eighth and Nottingham Forest at the foot of the table, so wins are even more critical now as teams look to put themselves in the most secure position possible before the six-week break for the World Cup.
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Fulham have won two of their last three Premier League games against Everton.
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Everton won their last away Premier League match against Fulham in November 2020, winning 3-2. The Toffees have never won consecutive away league games against the Cottagers.
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Fulham are vying to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2019.
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They could also score three or more goals in three successive top-flight matches for the first time since 1966.
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The Cottagers have scored in all six home league matches so far this season - they only scored in seven of their 19 games at Craven Cottage during their most recent top-flight campaign.
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Marco Silva will manage against the Toffees for the first time since he left the club in 2019.
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Aleksandar Mitrovic needs one more goal to become just the second Fulham player after Clint Dempsey to score 10 or more in the Premier League in two separate seasons.
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Everton have lost 16 of their past 23 Premier League away games (W2, D5).
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The Toffees are winless in their last 12 away fixtures against teams in the top half of the table (D4, L8).
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They're also without a win against a promoted side in each of their last six attempts (D2, L4).
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Alex Iwobi is just one short of equalling his career-best tally of six assists in a season, which he did with Arsenal in 2018-19.
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal since May in last week's victory over Crystal Palace.
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