SAN FRANCISCO, November 22, (THEWILL) – England forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted a double as Everton returned to winning ways with a 3-2 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in the first Premier League tie on Sunday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men came into this game after three successive defeats going into the international break. On Sunday, they ended that ominous slide with an emphatic performance which saw them open the scoring after only 42 seconds.
The hosts lost possession inside their own area, and Richarlison drove into the box with the ball. The Brazilian’s lofted cross was deflected into the path of Calvert-Lewin and the Englishman bundled a finish into the net from close range.
The Cottagers pressed forward for an equaliser and were rewarded after 15 minutes. Bobby Decordova-Reed angled a tidy finish across Everton goalie Jordan Pickford and into the far corner of the visitors’ net.
In the 29th minute, the Toffees struck back. And it was that man again, Calvert-Lewin at the end of a sensational team effort. Alex Iwobi, Nigeria midfielder, broke down the right-wing and found James Rodriguez with a cut-back pass. Colombia pinged it to Lucas Digne on the left flank who slammed it into the box for Calvert-Lewin to get his brace.
Digne was at hand again six minutes later to provide another assist. This time, his delivery found Abdoulaye Doucoure, who powered home a header from six yards out. It allowed Everton to take a two-goal cushion into the break.
An infringement on Aleksandar Mitrovic by Ben Godfrey inside the box provided the hosts with a chance to cut the deficit. But, Ivan Cavaleiro slipped as he kicked the ball, deflecting his own shot over the bar. It was Fulham’s third straight penalty miss.
Immediately after, though, Ruben Loftus-Cheek had the ball nestling in the net from an Ademola Lookman cut-back.
Fulham then turned on the pressure, going out for an equaliser with Loftus-Cheek and Mitrovic making a difference. But, it was not going to be and Everton held on for a win that lifts them up to sixth place in the Premier League table and keeps the Cottagers in 17th.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
