Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane both foud the net as Fulham were beaten 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Idrissa Gueye opened the scoring for Everton
Idrissa Gueye opened the scoring for Everton(Image: Getty Images)
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Crisis? What crisis?
Nerves had been jangling among some twitchy Evertonians in recent weeks but just as they did in their final fixture before the previous international break, the Blues finished with a win ahead of the last such interruption of the calendar year. David Moyes’ men picked up three points for them to enjoy the glow from for the next fortnight.
Indeed, the 2-0 victory over Fulham completed a hat-trick of such successes for Everton so far this term after the 3-2 win at Wolves on August 30 and dramatic stoppage-time comeback joy to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on October 5.
Back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and a first reversal at Hill Dickinson Stadium had a few anxious Blues pressing the panic button in recent weeks and after the team started so brightly at Sunderland on Monday but then allowed their hosts to come back strongly into the contest to earn a share of the spoils, this fixture suddenly had much more riding on it.
When Jack Grealish’s shot hit the back of FA Cup and Community Shield winners Crystal Palace’s net last month, Everton suddenly found themselves just a point behind the high-flying Eagles who had been bidding to extend their six-month unbeaten run to a 20th match but such is the closeness of this season’s Premier League, they subsequently dropped to 14th.
Now though, for the glass half full among you, they’re just three points shy of a Champions League place and even Tottenham Hotspur in third spot.
Chris Beesley
Chris Beesley