Everton 1-3 Fulham
Approaching last Saturday’s match against Everton, both clubs sorely needed three points. Sean Dyche was desperate to move his new charges away from the relegation zone and Marco Silva had to staunch the flow of defeats.
Unsurprisingly the Portuguese head coach tried something new –selecting Harry Wilson and Dan James to partner Willian in attack. Normally the Welsh pair are restricted to cameo appearances in the closing stages. Silva’s decision could hardly have turned out better.
After Damarai Gray had muffed an early chance, Harrison Reed found the unmarked Wilson, who released a left-foot special from outside the area. It rebounded off the woodwork to be pounced on by Reed to give Fulham a 22nd-minute lead.
James Tarkowsky had two chances to equalise as Fulham failed to tighten the defence. Dwight McNeil profited from slack marking to put the home side level 10 minutes before halftime. Bernd Leno foiled Neal Maupay, but Everton looked the likelier winners.
Threat
McNeil continued to threaten after the interval until Reed and Willian combined to present Wilson with another opportunity for his deadly left foot.
Fulham’s second goal disheartened the home side (‘Too many went under too quick,’ opined Dyche afterwards) and they went further behind when Tarkowsky’s crude foul on Wilson led to a quick Tosin free kick liberating Dan James to score a classy goal.
There were further chances for both teams, but Fulham emerged with three very welcome points.
The fans were almost evenly split when they decided Man of the Match. Harry Wilson gained 36.2 per cent of the votes, Dan James 34.5 per cent. Presumably the two will get more chances in the coming weeks.
It was a good day for Fulham even if a victory over Everton does not make the front pages these days.
Monday’s Times featured a lengthy report on the match by Paul Joyce, which contained fewer than 50 words about Fulham, but then he is the paper’s northern football correspondent. And elsewhere he commended our fans for uniting with their Everton counterparts in a dignified tribute to the victims of Hillsborough. Yes, a good day for Fulham.
Worth a gamble?
Professional football has long profited from the gambling industry. Sixty years ago, the largest private company in the UK was Littlewoods Pools, run by John Moores, the Chairman of Everton FC.
Having found the right manager in ex-player Harry Catterick Moores financed the signing of a host of notable footballers including Gordon West, Billy Bingham, Alex Young and the far from angelic Jimmy Gabriel.
Moores wanted his Millionaires as they were known to secure the League Championship in 1962-63 and they began the season with victories over Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday and (twice) Manchester United.
Their fifth match on the 1 September 1962 involved a visit to the Cottage where Everton lost 1-0 to cash-strapped Fulham, a result so unexpected that it made front page headlines in the evening papers. Moores got his wish at the end of that season when Fulham succumbed 4-1 to the new Champions at Goodison Park.
In the 21st century, the financial disparity between the two clubs has much diminished but Everton still has the edge when the teams meet. Fulham did not achieve a Premier League win at Goodison Park until February 2021.
Aleksandar Mitrovic missed that game having tested positive for Covid and his deputy Josh Maja scored both goals in the 2-0 win. Public health regulations meant that there were no travelling supporters to witness this historic victory.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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