Second-half collapse dents Fulham's European push in Everton defeat

Fulham (1) 1 Mykolenko OG 18’

Everton (0) 2 Dewsbury-Hall 75’, Leno OG 83’

Fulham’s European ambitions took a hit as they surrendered a lead to lose against Everton.

A Vitali Mykolenko own goal gave Marco Silva’s side the lead amid a flurry of chances, but a flat second-half showing allowed the visitors to turn the game around.

One-time Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall swept home to level the scores before Jake O’Brien got the better of Bernd Leno at a corner and forced an own goal.

A defeat against his former club will sting all the more for Silva given just how good his current side were in the first half at Craven Cottage.

Although O’Brien headed against the inside of the post in the opening ten minutes, this was otherwise Fulham at something close to their very best.

With Alex Iwobi orchestrating play at the base of midfield, Emile Smith-Rowe, Samuel Chukwueze and Ryan Sessegnon regularly proved far too sophisticated for Everton to provide any sort of resistance.

Smith-Rowe and Chukwueze hit the crossbar with spectacular efforts, while both the former Arsenal man and Raul Jimenez were guilty of passing up far more presentable opportunities.

Perhaps it was no surprise then that breakthrough arrived thanks to a little help from David Moyes’ visitors.

When yet another well-worked move involving Chukwueze, Iwobi and Sessegnon fell the way of Jimenez, his initial effort was well saved by Jordan Pickford only for the ball to dribble over the line courtesy of a touch from Mykolenko.

Mykolenko went some way in making up for the error after the interval, clearing a Chukwueze cross that Jimenez looked destined to finish, but that was the only moment of excitement for the Fulham faithful in a disappointing second half.

Silva may himself take some responsibility for the way three points became a first home defeat of the year.

The Fulham boss made substitutions in the moments before both Everton goals – the second occasion all the more puzzling as Fulham were preparing to defend a corner.

Leno was unable to prevent Dewsbury-Hall’s stabbed effort from a Mykolenko cross finding the net. But it was the winning goal where he was really at fault, as the goalkeeper allowed O’Brien to get the better of him before the ball was forced over the line.

Fulham sat seventh in the Premier League table at half-time and appeared in the mood for a genuine push for Europe, making this second-half collapse all the more difficult to understand.