Fulham @ Everton

Just finished watching the replay. Can’t remember the last time we played relentless, ball hawking, suffocating defense like that. Absolutely no problem with Harrison Reed as MOTM, but, as is usually the case in games like this, everybody contributed significantly, even the much maligned RLC. In addition to their very good work on defense, Aina and Lookman caused the Toffees real havoc offensively on the left side in the 2nd half. And Maja did what good strikers do: attack the goal when the ball goes toward it. How refreshing! But the lively, frenetic, anticipatory and, yes, physical pressing for the bulk of the game was what got my attention. That and the new striker scoring two goals. Hope we can keep it up for awhile.
A win!!!

 

It was a fantastic match for Fulham fans as Fulham dominated the match for 75 to 80 minutes before bunkering for the final stretch. As has already been mentioned Harrison Reed was the man of the match with quite a few honorable mentions.

I haven’t heard many mention him but I thought Tosin was outstanding. He was calm on the ball acting as the primary ball playing CB, he was aggressive in stepping in and intercepting balls to keep Everton pinned back, and was pretty flawless when Everton did get into the Fulham half.

The Lookman-Aina combination had the left side of Fulham’s attack humming all match long. The combination that led to Maja’s first goal was dazzling and that duo were singing from the same hymn sheet all match long. Lookman specifically had his best match in a while and I expect more than one Everton defender is not having pleasant dreams because of his play today.

On another day Maja would have walked away with a man of the match performance. Two goals, good hold up play, and he did a good job pressing when Fulham turned the ball over.

I can just keep going down the line. Tete was excellent, BDR played smartly in all phases of the match, Andersen played particularly well in closing out the match, Lemina was everywhere he needed to be when he needed to be and RLC at a minimum provided a good bit to both possession and pressing Everton. Only Areola didn’t provide any highlight positives and that is because he didn’t really need to do anything that would have made a highlight reel.

Finally, a standing ovation to Parker for tonight’s game plan because it was spot on!

 

What I love about Scott Parker, and it's not something we've really had in previous managers, is if the calendar allows him to game plan against the opposition, he often hits the jackpot. His pragmatism shines with time. We saw it in the Playoff Final, against Leicester in November, and yesterday.

Everton were tired from the cup and somewhat focal-less without Calvert-Lewin. So rather than let them play their way into the game with the usual back five, Parker went four at the back while keeping Reed and Lemina as a double pivot. As such Fulham could attack and press Everton on the wings and through the middle without being overrun. It was a simple change but it paid massive dividends.

Everton did not play well, but they were never really allowed to get going. Our defense and ride/forecheck/press was stifling. Although Fulham's play in the final third was still lacking until the goals, overall we outshot Everton! At Goodison!

I wish we were given a full week to prep for the trip to Burnley and home fixture vs Sheffield United, but this is a massive week for the club. This unexpected win can be a springboard for positive results. Here's hoping.

 

COYW!!! Great victory!!

Reed was everywhere on the pitch yesterday: his clearance out of the box, and subsequent attempt to chase down the very ball he cleared, exemplified his MOTM performance.