The run continues. When Everton host Fulham, the outcome is always a home win and so it proved once again. This is the 22nd time in succession, the visitors have been sent packing without anything to show for their efforts.
But as they shook hands at the final whistle, both Marco Silva and Slavisa Jokanovic knew things could have been very different. Everton’s head coach, who had seen two Gylfi Sigurdsson goals and a header from Cenk Tosun secure three points, was relieved; his Fulham counterpart was perplexed.
Fulham had chances to fracture Everton’s brittle confidence but, as Jokanovic pointed out, they “paid an expensive price” for failing to take their opportunities. That won’t matter one jot to Silva, though, who was delighted to see his side win in the Premier League for the first time August 18.
Gylfi Sigurdsson atoned for an earlier penalty miss with a second-half double to secure much-needed victory
Theo Walcott whipped in a cross from the left and substitute Cenk Tosun was on hand to nod home the second goal
The relief was obvious from the jubilant celebration as £27m striker Tosun finally got on the score sheet this season
Sigurdsson sealed a relatively convincing win in the 89th minute with a low drive from from Bernard’s cross
MATCH FACTS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford 7: Kenny 6, Keane 6, Zouma 6, Digne 7: Gana Gueye 7, Davies 6: Walcott 7, Sigurdsson 8 (Schneiderlin 90mins), Richarlison 7 (Bernard 87mins): Calvert-Lewin 5.5 (Tosun 55mins)
Subs not used: Stekelenburg (GK), Holgate, Baines, Schneiderlin, Lookman
Goals: Sigurdsson (57, 89), Tosun (66)
Manager: Marco Silva 7
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Bettinelli 6: Fosu-Mensah (Christie 7mins 6), Odoi 5, Ream 6, Bryan 6: Zambo-Anguissa 6, Serri 6.5 (Ayite 83mins): Vietto 6.5 (Cairney 63mins 6), Schurrle 6, Sessegnon 6: Mitrovic 6
Subs not used: Rico (GK), McDonald, Johansen, Le Marchand
Booked: Christie
Manager: Slavisa Jokanovic 6
Referee: R East 6
Attendance: 38,788
Man of the Match: Gylfi Sigurdsson
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The build up to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s first goal. CLICK HERE to see more from Sportsmail’s brilliant MATCH ZONE feature.
‘I’m really happy – if I’m not happy when we win 3-0 when will I be happy?’ asked Silva. ‘I told the boys my feelings in the dressing room. It is an important result. It’s just three points. At the end, it is just three points.’ But for long spells, there was enough doubt to think Everton wouldn’t claim them particularly during a soporific first half. They should have trailed at the interval and were fortunate when Ryan Sessegnon’s drive in the 42nd minute cannoned against the bar.
Conceding at that point would have fractured Everton’s brittle confidence. There was murmuring from the stands as the team left the pitch and the atmosphere had the potential to become uncomfortable. Winning was as much about soothing anxieties as it was collecting points.
Fortunately for Silva, Everton’s performance in the second period significantly improved. The crowd got behind the team and it was the catalyst for a 20-minute spell that took the contest out of Fulham’s reach. Everton were dynamic and got their reward.
True, it looked briefly as that might not be the case. When Sigurdsson struck the crossbar from the penalty spot – assistant referee Andy Garratt spotted Denis Odoi’s push on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and awarded the kick – it appeared that Everton would flounder.
Denis Odoi made contact with Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the box and the linesman awarded the spot-kick
Gylfi Sigurdsson stepped up to take the penalty but he blasted his spot kick against the crossbar in the 52nd minute
Silva didn’t watch the penalty and when he heard the exasperated growl that greeted the miss, he was visibly bursting with frustration as he stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets; he didn’t want to see another opportunity squandered.
He need not have worried; Sigurdsson atoned for his miss five minutes later when sweeping in a left-footed drive from 20 yards, the ball landing at his feet after Odoi failed to clear a cross from Theo Walcott properly.
Fulham, briefly, threatened to make a game of things but a key moment arrived in the 61st minute when Jordan Pickford won a battle of wits with Luciano Vietto and raced from his goal to make a crucial clearance. The England No1, who punched the air, knew the significance.
‘They did not do something fantastic to win the game,’ said Jokanovic. ‘We were sleeping in important moments. We must understand where we are and if you make mistakes, you will be hurt. If we do not adapt, it will be complicated for us.’
Timothy Fosu-Mensah suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder after a horror collision with Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The defender, on loan from Manchester United, was carried off on a stretcher in the seventh minute following the collision
Both teams struggled in the final third to create chances and there was only one shot on target in the first-half
What could have been 1-1 soon became 2-0. Everton started to get plenty of joy down Fulham’s left and when Walcott scuttled to the byline, his cross to the back post demand someone provide a finish. Tosun, only just on as a substitute, obliged with an emphatic header.
From that point, there was no way back for Fulham and the gloss was put on an excellent 45 minutes when Sigurdsson bent in another drive, this time with his right foot. For a man whose endured travails since his £45million arrival 14 months ago, it was a rare moment in the sun.
‘He showed fantastic character and personality is important,’ said Silva. ‘Not just him but our squad. It’s important as a team to show that character.
Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon burst into the box in the first-half but his left-footed shot came back off the crossbar
Everton manager Marco Silva and Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic share a similar expression on the touchline