Everton 1-3 Fulham: Cottagers end their five-game losing streak

Before kick-off at Goodison Park, Everton welcomed 84-year-old Derek Temple and 85-year-old Tony Kay onto the pitch – two men from when they won the title in 1963.

For context, it was 12 years before that when Everton were last relegated from the top-flight in 1951 and after this defeat, the ominous prospect of Everton going down for the first time in 72 years looks increasingly like a genuine possibility.

This was a game Everton simply needed to win.

Instead, it was a joyous afternoon for Marco Silva, still serving a touchline ban, on his return to the club where he was sacked in 2019, as Fulham ended their five-game losing streak thanks to goals from Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson and Daniel James.

It left the home side outside the relegation places on goal difference alone, with Leicester and Nottingham Forest below them both still to play.

Fulham snapped a five-game losing run and piled the misery on relegation-threatened Everton

The ball fell to Harry Wilson in the box and he picked his spot against a static Everton defence

Sean Dyche, exactly a year on after his Burnley sacking, made three changes to the Everton side that lost at Old Trafford last weekend, with Vitali Mykolenko, James Garner and Neal Maupay all starting in a 4-4-2.

Seamus Coleman was out with injury. As was Amadou Onana, leaving Dyche with only one of his favoured midfield three in Alexander Iwobi, with Abdoulaye Doucoure serving the second of his three-match ban.

Silva also made three changes with Kenny Tete, Wilson and James all starting for Fulham.

The ground was packed under the spring sunshine and after a period of silence for the 34th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, it was Everton who had the first sniff of goal, capitalising on a Fulham mistake as the visitors tried to play out from the back. Demarai Gray’s effort was however straight at Bernd Leno.

The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute at the other end. After a period of Fulham pressure where Jordan Pickford was tested by Willian and Harry Wilson, it was the former Liverpool man Wilson who cut in and struck the post with a superb strike past an outstretched Pickford from outside the box.

Fulham reacted the quickest from the rebound and Harrison Reed calmly finished in the bottom corner.

With his side struggling, Dyche switched from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 with Gray moving out to the left and Iwobi offering a much-needed extra body in the centre.

It was a change that worked wonders and Everton should have levelled but Maupay headed straight at Leno from a few yards out and James Tarkowski skied over from the rebound.

The equaliser came shortly after as Joao Palhinha lost the ball and Garner found Dwight McNeil who took the ball with his back towards goal and drilled in wonderfully past Leno.

With the Goodison crowd now roaring, Everton missed another glaring opportunity after McNeil and Maupay played a lovely one-two but the latter failed to beat Leno when he was through on goal.

And they were made to rue their missed chances when shortly after the break, Fulham went back in front.

Kenny Tete’s cross to the back post was wonderfully cushioned down by Willian for Wilson to finish past Pickford.

Sean Dyche’s side have a much better record at home – they have only won once on the road

The points were sealed by Fulham with a long free kick and Daniel James calmly finished

And then from a long ball, James brought the ball down brilliantly with his right foot before slotting in with his left.

‘Going down’ sang the travelling Fulham fans in jest as the home supporters streamed out of Goodison and into the pubs outside as their attention turned to Aintree, three miles up the road for the 175th Grand National, perhaps for some light respite.

Everton’s next two games here will see the visits of Newcastle and Man City, before they face Bournemouth on the final day.

The odds are no doubt against them.