CRAVEN COTTAGE — Dominic Calvert-Lewin maintained his outstanding start to the season with two more goals as Everton ended a run of three successive defeats.
Carlo Ancelotti, though, acknowledged defensive improvements are needed after his side were tested by a spirited Fulham fightback that might have earned a point but for another woeful penalty miss.
Dominant throughout a first half in which Calvert-Lewin scored after just 42 seconds, Ancelotti’s side reached half-time with a 3-1 advantage and apparently on course for an emphatic win.
Calvert-Lewin added a second, his 10th league goal of the season, after Bobby Decordova-Reid equalised, with Abdoulaye Doucoure heading the visitors’ third.
Fulham, though, were much improved after the break, and in particular following the introduction of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Loftus Cheek brought them back into the match in the 70th minute, moments after Ivan Cavaleiro, assuming spot-kick duties with Ademola Lookman’s failure against West Ham still fresh in the mind, had skied a penalty over the bar. Everton ended the game relieved to hear the final whistle.
“It was most important to get back to winning,” said Ancelotti. “We played a fantastic first half but we had more difficulties in the second half. We lost energy, we had players tired. We lost a bit of quality and were defending the result at the end.
Calvert-Lewin’s continuing good form proved decisive with the striker benefitting from Ancelotti’s switch to a back three which allowed wing-backs Alex Iwobi and Lucas Digne to press forward and deliver the kind of service the England forward thrives on.
‘We have to improve defensively’
“In this moment, [Calvert-Lewin] is really potent in the box,” said Ancelotti. “When balls arrive, he’s ready. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to have the consistency as he has in this period.
Can he win the Golden Boot? “I hope for him!” said the Everton manager. “It would be good for us. He has scored a lot of goals and it’s good for the club. But the target is not this. Also for him. The target is to score goals, to help the team be at the top of the table.”
But having conceded at least two goals in six successive league game, it’s clear where Everton’s problems lie. “We have to improve [defensively] for sure,” Ancelotti said. “We were not so compact but we have time to improve on this.”
Parker’s side could hardly have been more welcoming. The match was less than minute old when Decordova-Reid gifted possession to Richarlison who broke into the home penalty area and worked his way to the byline before delivering a low cross that ricocheted into the path of Calvert-Lewin off Tosin Adarabioyo, allowing the forward to bundle the ball into the net from close range.
They recovered when Decordova-Reid made amends by capping a well-worked 15th minute move with a good finish, but Everton were back in front in the 29th minute after Iwobi weaved his way in from the right before switching play and Calvert-Lewin was on hand to turn home when Digne eventually delivered a low cross from the left.
The third came from another Digne cross, this time to Doucoure who was unmarked when he headed in 10 minutes before the break.
Scott Parker was understandably angry at his side’s first half display that stood in stark contrast to their improved efforts later on. “I am looking at the basics – forget tactics and good players, just go into the football match and understand you need to win the battle,” he said.
“Of course there is more to it, but in any game you need to show that side. Second half there was a reaction but it shouldn’t come from a rollicking at half-time.”
Loftus-Cheek was tripped by Ben Godfrey to win the penalty but Cavaleiro miss added to Fulham’s woes. “You couldn’t have written it, when he has slipped and missed” said Parker.
“All I can say is that over the last 10 days we have put things in place and worked tireless in terms of preparation and understanding the process. Ivan is an exceptional penalty taker and last time I was in this situation with Ade’s I was angry and disappointed with the way we missed it, but today these things can happen. Of course [I’m] disappointed but he slipped, it was one of them things.”
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