Everton beat Fulham 2-0 on Saturday afternoon as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall enjoyed a productive display.
David Moyes needed a response from his Everton side as Fulham arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland was frustrating enough, but the Toffees also lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the prior home game.
The Toffees had to hit back and did so with a 2-0 win over Fulham thanks to goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane.
Everton v Fulham - Premier League
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall must take confidence from Everton display
Everton just couldn’t stop having goals disallowed in this one.
Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was one of those to find the net, only for it to be ruled out.
Dewsbury-Hall joined Everton from Chelsea over the summer, and he initially made a big impact alongside Jack Grealish.
Dewsbury-Hall has struggled to really impact the game going forward in recent weeks, though, so it was great to see him step up against Fulham.
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The disallowed goal won’t count for anything now, but he was in the right place at the right time for any loose ball inside the box.
Thierno Barry was the one who was offside in that instance, robbing Dewsbury-Hall of a fine goal.
Dewsbury-Hall did have a telling impact, whipping in a superb left-footed corner for Keane to head in number two.
This is what we want to see from Dewsbury-Hall: real attacking impact and creativity from set plays.
It won’t come off for Dewsbury-Hall every week, but his performance against Fulham should give him real confidence to kick on and find another level.
Questions still linger over Dewsbury-Hall’s suitability as a number 10, but he can really prove himself in that role by producing quality, just as he did against Fulham.
Category Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall stats v Fulham
Key passes 2
Assists 1
Accurate passes 39
Interceptions 1
Duels won 10
Ball recoveries 6
David Moyes clearly a big fan of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Dewsbury-Hall found the right formula on and off the ball against Fulham, and that needs to be the blueprint going forward.
David Moyes defended Dewsbury-Hall after the final whistle, believing that he is actually going ‘under the radar’ for his displays at Everton.
Moyes also talked up Dewsbury-Hall’s creativity and his impact on the Everton team as a whole.
Fans haven’t always seen that impact, but Moyes has been in no doubt over Dewsbury-Hall’s impact.
That kind of backing should also give Dewsbury-Hall major confidence in his role as a key player at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Moyes has been honest over his other summer signings, believing that Merlin Rohl and Tyler Dibling aren’t ready yet.
Moyes hasn’t hidden that Thierno Barry is far from the finished product either, so we can safely assume that he will be pretty honest with his verdict.
The Scot not only rates Dewsbury-Hall as a player, but is also ready to praise him when others may not feel the same way.
That is the sign of a manager who really rates a player, and Dewsbury-Hall should be on a real high after those comments.
Dewsbury-Hall was a little quiet against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, but his display against Fulham should be the start of a real run of form for the midfielder