Sunday Fulham Stuff (04/11/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Steve Sidwell's last-minute equaliser earns 2-2 draw for Fulham against Everton


Steve Sidwell: Heroics from the bench for Fulham

Steve Sidwell's last-minute equaliser salvaged a most unlikely point for Fulham in a pulsating 2-2 draw against Everton.

It was harsh on the Toffees and in particular the brilliant Marouane Fellaini who scored two second-half goals to help his side as they recovered from their early set-back and utterly dominate until the final few seconds.

With the spoils set to be heading for Merseyside, the ball was hooked into the box and as defender Seamus Coleman dithered, Dimitar Berbatov's fumble allowed substitute Sidwell to slide in at the back post and steal a point for Martin Jol's men.

It was a breathtaking finish to a very lively contest that had begun so well for the hosts, albeit in slightly fortunate circumstances.

After just seven minutes Phil Neville carelessly chopped down Berbatov on the edge of the box, leaving Bryan Ruiz to curl in a free-kick from his cultured left foot that crept in off the diving Tim Howard and the post.

The goal meant the Toffees had conceded the first goal in each of their last five league games and having rescued at least a point on each previous occasion, they had every reason to attack more adventurously.

Fulham's reluctance to press on merely invited danger and Nikica Jelavic, Coleman and Phil Jagielka all went close with rasping shots.

There was new fire burning in the visitors after the break and having narrowly failed to connect to Jagielka's flicked header, Fellaini grabbed a deserved equaliser.

The Belgian burst through the middle and after the rampant Kevin Mirallas pulled the ball back from the right, the midfielder blasted home (54).

Everton were flying and it was not long before they had the advantage when Jagielka's long ball was chested down on the edge of the box and Fellaini fired in low past Mark Schwarzer after bustling past Aaron Hughes.

The Fulham defence was crumbling and Fellaini had a shot deflected onto the post before Steven Naismith fluffed the follow-up and Schwarzer then palmed away a stunning Fellaini volley.

That save proved to be crucial as Sidwell's late stab earned a last-gasp point for the Cottagers, leaving Everton boss David Moyes distraught on the sidelines and reflecting on a fourth successive draw.

In the build-up to the game, Fulham manager Martin Jol had identified Everton as the "best of the rest", the benchmark to which a club like his must aspire, and he will be cherishing the luckiest of points.

Leading 2-1 and creating chance after chance against a team rarely overwhelmed at home, Everton failed to produce the third goal they needed to kill the game off and paid a high price.


http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/261651/report?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 2 Everton 2: Sidwell rescues point for Cottagers with last-minute equaliser

A very nice, and expensive, part of London is Fulham but on this evidence, anyone contemplating a move there might worry about the crime rate.

For this was sheer theft. Everton dominated the game but left the back door unlocked and allowed Fulham to pinch two goals against the run of play and an unmerited point.


On it's way: Fulham's Bryan Ruiz (left) curls the free kick that leads to the opening goal

Home goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer kept them in it, denying the mighty Marouane Fellaini a hat-trick, the Belgian's two goals coming after Bryan Ruiz's free-kick for Fulham had gone in off Tim Howard.

Steve Sidwell's last-gasp equaliser left David Moyes frowning and frustrated, even though the point, Everton's fourth in a row as part of seven games unbeaten, took his team into the top four.

'I can't believe we have only got a draw out of that,' said the Everton manager.

'It was incredible. Their goalkeeper has saved them and we were incredibly wasteful in front of goal.'

Steven Gerrard had suggested, before backtracking, that Everton resembled Stoke, the Premier League's power team, after the Merseyside derby last weekend, and you saw what he meant as Fellaini bullied his way to a Route One second goal, but there was much variation to their play too.

'I thought we played some terrific football at times today,' added Moyes.


Laughing boys: Ruiz (right) celebrates with Damien Duff, after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard turns the ball into his own net

'We looked as sharp as any of the top teams but if we want to hang in with the big boys, we have got to win games like this.'

Fulham were a shadow of the bright side that has also started so well this season, having won three of their four previous home games.

Their early lead seemed only to breed complacency. It came when Phil Neville clipped Dimitar Berbatov's ankle some 25 yards out and Ruiz stepped up to curl an excellent left-footed shot over the wall.


Even with Steven: Pienaar attempts to hold off Fulham's Ruiz

Goalkeeper Howard got two hands to it but could only push it on to the post, from where it rebounded off him into the net.

That was about that from Fulham in the first half as the combativity of Everton's centrals midfield of Phil Neville and Leon Osman put to shame the idling dilettante that was Ruiz.

The only surprise was that it took Everton until 10 minutes into the second half to score. Seamus Coleman sent Kevin Mirallas away down the right and his cut-back was met firmly by Fellaini at the near post, the ball cannoning off Brede Hangeland into the net.


Strife of Bryan: Ruiz is closed down by Everton's Leon Osman (left) and John Heitinga

Fulham manger Martin Jol sent on Sidwell to stiffen Fulham's midfield but within minutes, Everton were ahead.

Phil Jagielka launched a long, high ball forward and Fellaini outmuscled Aaron Hughes before drilling home a low shot.
Fellaini, almost unplayable at times, should have had a hat-trick to secure the game, hitting a post and seeing a fierce volley turned aside by Schwarzer.


Arms race: Nikica Jelavic attempts to foil Aaron Hughes (left) as Dimitar Berbatov (right) closes in


Moyes the pity: David Moyes looks pensive on the touchline at Craven Cottage

Then came Sidwell's late steal. Sascha Riether crossed low from the right, Berbatov miskicked in front of goal and the substitute arrived at the far post to turn the ball home.

Jol said: 'They dominated us. They are a good footballing side, physically stronger than us.'


Hair raising: Everton's Marouane Fellaini celebrates scoring the first of his brace


Super sub: Steve Sidwell came off the bench to rescue a point



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2227267/Fulham-2-Everton-2-Match-report.html#ixzz2BElW2p2M
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
Steve Sidwell saves Fulham after double by Everton's Marouane Fellaini


Fulham's playmaker Bryan Ruiz in action with Leon Osman, left, and John Heitinga of Everton at Craven Cottage.
Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

David Moyes, the Everton manager, said on Friday that he would willingly pay to watch his team, such was the attractive nature of their play. For the opening 45 minutes at Craven Cottage, he would have been demanding a refund – his players were extremely poor – but he got his money's worth in the second half as Everton hit back to draw with Fulham thanks to two goals from Marouane Fellaini.

But they could have and should have won as they led 2-1 – and missed a host of chances – until the final minute when Fulham equalised. Sascha Riether crossed from the right, Dimitar Berbatov made a hash of his shot and Steve Sidwell, a substitute, prodded home at the far post.

Moyes had been irritated, after the 2-2 derby draw with Liverpool last weekend, by the claims of Steven Gerrard that Everton were little more than a "long-ball" team similar to Stoke City. Though the Liverpool captain later retracted his comments, Moyes remained irked.

He would have been even more irritated by his team's painfully laborious first-half display. Everton dominated for large periods, mostly through the industry of Steven Pienaar, but failed to find any penetration. So rigid and smothering was the Fulham defence that the goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was barely troubled.

Fulham fought as if they had something precious to hang on to, which they had – a seventh-minute lead. Phil Neville fouled Berbatov and, from Bryan Ruiz's curling free-kick, Tim Howard appeared to have made a fine save. But the ball cannoned off a post, off his shoulder and into the net for an own goal.

In response, Everton huffed and puffed and got nowhere ... until approaching half-time. Nikica Jelavic nodded weakly at a Leighton Baines cross, a Phil Jagielka shot deflected off Chris Baird and fizzed narrowly wide, and Jelavic drove over from Baird's poor backpass.

At least – and at last – Moyes enjoyed value for money early in the second half, with Jagielka glancing a header wide from Baines's free-kick and, soon after, Fellaini drawing Everton level. Seamus Coleman released Kevin Mirallas and his cross from the right was powerfully turned in by Fellaini.

Howard produced a good save to deny Berbatov from close range but Everton's superiority grew, with Jelavic, Mirallas and Leon Osman all having efforts on goal, albeit mostly wayward. But Fellaini struck again in the 72nd minute, controlling Jagielka's huge punt – yes, a long ball – before beating Schwarzer with a fierce shot.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/nov/03/fulham-everton-premier-league?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol admits Fulham came unstuck against Toffees but 'never gave up'


Fulham manager Martin Jol on the touchline. Photo credit: Tony Marshall/EMPICS

Martin Jol admitted that his side were second best against Everton and were fortunate to come away with a point in a 2-2 draw after Steve Sidwell poked home a 90th minute equaliser.

Fulham opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Brian Ruiz's free-kick ricocheted in off the post and Toffees keeper Tm Howard.

But they were overrun from start to finish and when Marouane Fellaini struck twice after the break it looked as if the visitors would go on to bag a hatful.

Only their lack of killer instinct prevented them from doing so and they paid the price at the death.

Jol had little sympathy for David Moyes' men, saying: "It doesn't mean anything in football if you don't score the goals.

"They dominated us, all we could do was try to be positive. They are a very good footballing team. They are a settled team and know exactly what to do.

"Normally we are a good team, but I couldn't see that today. Although we took the lead I still felt they were stronger.

"The only positive thing I can say is that we never gave up."



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/jol_admits_fulham_came_unstuck_against_toffees_but_never_gave_up_1_1680728

[WhiteJC]

 
Game 10 Match Report: Fulham 2:2 Everton


Want to see a football player look silly? Find any picture of a wall. - Scott Heavey

During the past week, much of the talk on Merseyside has concerned Steven Gerrard's critique of Everton as a long ball side "similar to Stoke City." Well, Everton Stoke City-ed their way to the lead today, but unfortunately they then Southampton-ed their way to yet another draw as the match at Craven Cottage ended with the honors even.

First Half

- Everton managed a few chances that weren't really chances early on in the match, as Leon Osman was blocked a couple of times and Nikica Jelavic played a nice dummy for Steven Pienaar that was ultimately blocked as well. With the Blues applying the pressure and looking lively, the response from Fulham came as an unexpected kick to the groin. On their first real foray into an attacking area, Phil Neville tripped up Dimitar Berbatov to set up a free kick from the top of the penalty area. Bryan Ruiz curled his shot off the post, off a diving Tim Howard, and over the line for the opening tally. It would ultimately go down as an own goal credited to the unlucky Everton keeper.

- Despite a plethora of corner kicks to work with, Everton were having a difficult time generating anything from their many crosses into the box. Controlling the majority of the possession was also doing little to bring the Blues any joy. Jelavic popped up a header that was never going to worry Mark Schwarzer, and later Osman tried his luck from distance but saw his shot easily caught.

- For some reason, David Moyes chose to switch his wingers midway through the first half, moving Steven Pienaar to the right side and restoring Kevin Mirallas to the left. This was an odd move; the only reason I can think of is that perhaps Moyes decided that Mirallas, coming off an ankle injury, would be better off in the position he has historically been most comfortable. In any case, it seemed to leave Everton just a tad disjointed, and later Moyes would reverse the tactical move.

- Leighton Baines whipped a picturesque cross for an unmarked Jelavic to meet, but the Croatian was wasteful as he headed the ball straight into the ground. Jelavic looked like he was lacking in confidence today, and though he worked his way into some good scoring positions his finishing left a lot to be desired.

- The half closed with Everton well in front of their hosts, but they still couldn't find the end reward they were seeking. Seamus Coleman weaved his way into a dangerous spot and fired low and on target, but Schwarzer saved the shot with Jelavic lurking nearby. Phil Jagielka hit a long, low drive that nicked a Fulham player and whizzed just left of the goalmouth. Finally, Jelavic was gift-wrapped what might have been the best chance of the entire half right at the end as Chris Baird inadvertently weighted a perfect pass for the striker. Unfortunately, Jelavic was unable to finish from what was admittedly a difficult angle, chipping his shot well wide of the mark.

Second Half

- Thankfully for the Toffees, the second half got off to a much better start than the first, as it was the two Belgians who connected to score Everton's first goal. The move began with a superb run by Mirallas, and the move ended when Fellaini directed a neat pass from his countryman past Fulham's Australian keeper to even the score.

- Fulham nearly struck back right away as Berbatov did what he does best, squeezing past the defense and (staying onside) let fly a cheeky effort that required all of Howard's reflexes to keep out of the net. The game was becoming a chippy affair, and Mahamadou Diarra was finally shown the yellow card he had coming for a nasty challenge on Mirallas.

- Everton were on the front foot and the go-ahead goal was seeming more and more like an eventuality. Indeed, Fellaini would make it a brace through a very Stoke City-ish buildup. First, Jagielka bombed the ball the length of the pitch for Fellaini to bring down dexterously at his feet. Then, the big Belgian turned swiftly and hammered the ball past a diving Schwarzer and into the net. 2-1!

- Unfortunately, even a five-man defensive unit (after the introduction of Sylvain Distin) could not secure three points for the Toffees for the first time since September. With the last few minutes ticking away, Coleman made an unwise decision to try to blow through three or four white shirts and of course lost possession. Fulham immediately moved the ball to the right and then crossed into the area, the pass evading at least four Everton defenders who should have cleared it before finding Steve Sidwell at the back post. The ball was scrambled over the line, that was that, and the game ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw.

Player Ratings

(in order of performance)

Fellaini 8 (MOTM), Mirallas 7, Jagielka 7, Baines 6, Howard 6, Coleman 6, Neville 5.5, Heitinga 5.5, Osman 5, Pienaar 5, Jelavic 4, Naismith (80) n/a, Distin (89) n/a



http://www.royalbluemersey.com/2012/11/3/3595266/game-10-match-report-fulham-2-2-everton?

[WhiteJC]

 
Sidwell pinches a point
by DAN on NOVEMBER 3, 2012



It was probably one of the simplest finishes of Steve Sidwell's career but the manner of his last-gasp leveller mattered little. Fulham, far from fluent on an afternoon that should have belonged to a rampaging Everton side who dominated another absorbing encounter at Craven Cottage, celebrated a late, lucky break that saw them plunder a point like they'd snatched all three. A disbelieving David Moyes confessed afterwards that the draw felt like a defeat after a brace from Marouane Fellaini seemed set to break Toffees' sequence of stalemates.

It was easy to understand the Everton manager's dismay. His side saw more of the ball and passed it prettily too, but left London with only a point to show for their 27 shots. Just a look at the scoreline tells you that Moyes' men didn't extend Mark Schwarzer enough. Nikita Jelavic, who had so terrorised Fulham when Everton put four past the Whites in April, was guilty of the most glaring proligacy. The usually reliable Croatian forward had already nodded wide whilst unmarked at the far post before he skied wastefully over the crossbar having beaten the stranded Schwarzer to a horribly misjudged backpass from Chris Baird.

Being level at the break would have been bad enough but Everton actually trailed after Tim Howard only managed to push Bryan Ruiz's curling 25-yard free-kick on to the far post. The American's tame touch saw the ball cannon off the woodwork, strike him on the back and roll into the net. Fulham looked bright and inventive with Ruiz, restored to the starting line-up after a brilliant display as a second half substitute at Reading, linking up nicely with Dimitar Berbatov, but if the goal was meant to spark a sustained spell of home pressure, Everton misread the script. They penned their hosts back for prolonged periods and Fulham failed to deal with Fellaini's aerial supremacy as well as his hulking physical presence, but failed to find a finishing touch. Such was Phil Jagielka's frustration with what was going on ahead of him, the England centre back ventured forward and lashed a drive towards goal that whizzed past the far post by a whisker from fully thirty yards.

Fulham's resistence was game, but with Ruiz and Berbatov starved of meaningful serivce, they struggled to pose too many problems further up the pitch. Everton were on the front foot once again in the second period and Jol's side were just reorganising after John Arne Riise limped off with an ankle injury – forcing Damien Duff to switch to full back – when the visitors equalised. Ironically, Fellaini's first goal arrived during Fulham's first real spell of sustained pressure with Berbatov shooting wide and Ruiz seeing a goalbound effort bravely blocked.

Everton's attacks still carried the greater threat and the equaliser their endeavour deserved came as the visitors clinically capitalised on Fulham's lack of defensive cover down the left. Coleman's clever pass released Kevin Mirallas down the right and the Belgian winger's low cross was fiercely drilled home by his compatriot Fellaini from eight yards out. Howard made a smart save at his near post from Berbatov after the Bulgarian had sprung the offside trap, but that moment apart, after the equaliser it was all Everton.

Fellaini's clever pass sent Jelavic clear but the striker stabbed woefully wide, coming under important pressure from Sascha Riether, and Mirallas also missed the target from a promising position after leaving Mahamadou Diarra for dead in the penalty area with a sharp turn. Moyes may have been irked by Steven Gerrard's midweek assertion that his side favoured the long ball, but he  would've appreciated the efficiency of the goal that looked to have turned the contest in his team's favour. Jagielka's forward punt saw Fellaini bully his way past Aaron Hughes after bringing the ball down expertly and send a low shot past Schwarzer's right hand in the blink of an eye. Route one, but the right option on this ocassion.

Fulham looked visibly deflated and rather than recovering, it was Everton who appeared more likely to extend their lead as Fellaini twice came close to completing a hat-trick, seeing one deflected effort come back off the post before Schwarzer superbly stopped a venomous volley and substitute Stephen Naismith saw his shot scrambled off the line by Baird. Moyes sent on Sylvain Distin to secure the lead, but, remarkably, the defender's only contribution was to retrieve the ball from the Hammersmith End net after Fulham found an equaliser in the final minute of normal time. Riether raced to the byline, reaching a pass from Ashkan Dejagah, and the German's low cut-back located Berbatov four yards out in front of an empty net. Inexplicably, the Bulgarian failed to find the net, but Sidwell stabbed home at the far post to steal a most unlikely point.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Schwarzer; Riether, J.A. Riise (Dejagah 59), Hughes, Hangeland; Baird, Diarra (Petric 76); Kacaniklic (Sidwell 68), Duff, Ruiz; Berbatov. Subs (not used): Stockdale, Senderos, Karagounis, Rodallega.

BOOKED: Riise, Diarra.

GOALS: Howard (o.g. 7), Sidwell (90).

EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Howard; Coleman, Baines, Heitenga, Jagielka; Neville, Osman, Pienaar, Mirallas (Naismith 79); Fellaini; Jelavic (Distin 89). Subs (not used): Mucha, Duffy, Hitzlsperger, Oviedo, Gueye.

BOOKED: Osman.

GOALS: Fellaini (55, 72).

REFEREE: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire).

ATTENDANCE: 25,699.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/11/sidwell-pinches-a-point/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 2-2 Everton

First, we must doff our woolly hats to one of the better team performances witnessed at Craven Cottage in recent times. Everton have long felt like a pretty good team waiting to be, and now they have arrived, a complete team in all but a couple of areas. Fulham couldn't get near them for most of the game, and the final score was almost laughable in its inappropriateness: 2-2? How do you work that one out?

The first half was the more uneven of the two, Everton's dominance being near-complete. There was only one goal in the half, Bryan Ruiz curling a free-kick onto the post and into the net via an inelegant Tim Howard. It went down as a Howard o.g., which seems a little harsh on Ruiz, whose free-kick was more or less perfect. I don't suppose Howard particularly wants the goal either so I don't know why it can't just be given to Ruiz.  In any case, this must now be the end of John Arne Riise's silly "let's blast the ball as hard as we can and see where it goes" free-kick routine, which is as futile as it is frustrating.

So that was that, Fulham one up against the run of play. Everton just kept the ball, and whenever a Fulham player did happen upon possession it was soon surrendered, either by sloppy pass, hopeful long punt, or some combination of the two. We had to hope that Everton would tire in the second half, but it wasn't really about physicality or pressing so much as good organisation and an uncanny ability to be where Fulham didn't want them to be. I remember watching a football match with my grandmother, Dad's mum, years ago. It would've been a Sunday afternoon (that's when games were on TV then) and I remember that Manchester United were playing because goalkeeper Chris Turner was having a blinder (this dates the memory to between 1985 and 1988). Granny enjoyed Turner's performance and commented that he was doing very well in goal for such a short man. She also noted that it didn't seem that the game really was 11 v 11, as whichever team it was that was dominating (probably not United given the time frame – this was Ron Atkinson's team) seemed to have many more players. Well this is how today's match felt: Fulham seemed to be at least a man short.

Interestingly, Martin Jol commented that Fulham should have made more of the space they had in midfield, which isn't how it felt at the game. True, Everton's setup was very bold, with four attacking players and two very adventurous full-backs, but it really didn't feel as if there was space to be worked in. We had nowhere to go, which often is the way when you're camped in your own half.

Where, then? Certainly Ruiz and Berbatov weren't going to kill Everton over the top, and our full-backs were being pinned back by Everton's relentless work down either flank. This was splendid to see, actually, lots of switching of positions and possession, a bit like how Roy's teams used to work when on song, only a bit more attacking and with better players.  I suppose technically in Kacaniklic and Duff we had the wide men to take advantage of this aggressive approach work on the counter but it never did come to much.

The second half was a bit better in so far as we had the odd attack, but we were undone by Marouane Fellaini, twice. The first was the very goal you'd have predicted based on the first half, a bit of neat approach play, a low cross and a thumping finish by an onrushing forward.  The second was a bit of a mess: Everton, who don't deserve Liverpool's criticism for being a long-ball team, nevertheless are not stupid, and spent some time lumping balls at Fellaini to see what he might come up with. When he attached himself to Sascha Reither this looked particularly unfair, and here he was taking a ball down, tricking or bundling or something his way past Aaron Hughes and before we knew it the ball had been larruped past Mark Schwarzer for a deserved but dispiriting second.

Now then. Jol made a few tricksy subs: Riise and Diarra were both withdrawn, and I don't know if either were hurt, but this saw Baird and Duff spending time at left back. Dejagah and Sidwell and then Petric were introduced, bold moves from a manager not about to give up on a home point. Berbatov brought a smart save from Tim Howard at the near post but honestly Fulham didn't feel much nearer to getting anything out of the game. Everton hit the post, too.

I can't tell you what happened next. Hade and Stanley were in the playground in Bishop's Park so I thought I'd get a march on the crowds and find them so we could wander back to the car. It didn't feel like we had a goal in us and Everton's mastery of the game was annoying me. Silly, of course, as there are always late goals in football these days. I was about halfway to the playground when the stadium lit up with noise. An agonising pause – because I was behind the Putney End it was impossible to tell who'd scored from the chears – then came Diddy Hamilton's belated announcement: "Fulham goalscorer, number 7, Steeeve, Sidwell!".  Blimey, who'd have thought?

A post-mortem of today's game probably doesn't get us very far.  Everton were excellent and we weren't, yet we were able to stay close enough to snatch that point. It was the sort of game that Dimitar Berbatov will think about over his evening meal – "have I done the right thing? my teammates were a bit iffy today" – but we must hope that he's enjoying things enough to overlook the odd mishap like today. Not much went right for him on the pitch, and he and Ruiz showed that for every Reading extravaganza there will be games where they both might have been more use sitting in the Cottage playing Sudoku (Berbatov would be the better player, I assume, and probably even stronger at chess). Certainly it felt like some Rodallega pace over the top might have been more threatening today.

For all that, the game was not without bright points. Chris Baird again showed that in some ways he's our best player, reading the situations very nicely and making some timely interruptions to Everton attacks. Mark Schwarzer did well given recent troubles, and our defence more or less coped with one of the league's best set piece teams. Ruiz showed that for all his frustrating attributes he has match changing capabilities, and Steve Sidwell reminded us that he has a reasonable nose for goal. He probably should have been brought on sooner, too.

We won't struggle like that again for a while and in some ways the team will feel quite good about things this evening.



https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/fulham-2-2-everton/?

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM 2 - EVERTON 2: SID VICIOUS KO'S MOYESIE

STEVE SIDWELL rode to the rescue to turn the tables for Fulham, who scored rather than conceded a last-minute goalfor once.

Twice in recent weeks, against Reading and Southampton, they have come a cropper in the closing stages. This time they snatched an unlikely point when they looked well beaten.

Fulham had led after an embarrassing own goal from Tim Howard. But Everton battered them after that to go 2-1 up with Marouane Fellaini scoring twice.

And the Toffeemen will be kicking themselves at letting this one get away, because they should have been out of sight after a sensational second half.

As it is, they clung on to fourth spot because of results elsewhere. But this was a fourth draw in a row – and a real choker.

Everton boss David Moyes said: "We've dominated several times this season without winning. We just couldn't get the goals. It's frustrating because we wanted to hang on there at the top.

"But you would have come away today thinking Everton look as smart as any of the sides up there after that. We just didn't finish it off."

Once a bogey ground for Everton, they had not lost here since September 2009 and boasted an impressive recent record against their opponents.

Unbeaten in their last six against Fulham, they went into this one with their tails up after coming from two down to draw last Sunday's derby with Liverpool.

But while Everton have been enjoying praise for their best start to a season in years, Fulham have been staying under the radar.

It is something that clearly rankles with Martin Jol, who thinks his side do not get enough credit – and he used his programme notes to say so.

Fulham have certainly been full of goals – and they were ahead in the seventh minute as both teams picked up where they left off last weekend.

Everton conceded early for the second game running, after Phil Neville clumsily hacked down his old Man United team-mate Dimitar Berbatov just outside the box.

Bryan Ruiz took it, bending it over the wall but Howard got his hand to it and should have done better than push it on to the post and in off his own back.

Costa Rican Ruiz came off the bench to change the game in last Saturday's 3-3 draw at Reading and the decision to start with him here clearly paid off.

Everton have had to come from behind a lot this season and Fellaini had a shot saved before Nikica Jelavic wasted a fine chance by heading a Leighton Baines cross wide.

Phil Jagielka watched a fine curling effort from long range whistle inches wide of the far post, while Jelavic should have done better again when clean through on goal, lobbing over the bar.

It was all Everton at this point, with both Johnny Heitinga and Fellaini inches away from turning home Baines' free-kick.

The visitors did not have long to wait, though. Seamus Coleman fed Kevin Mirallas down the right and he stormed into the box to cut the ball back for Fellaini, who smashed it into the roof of the net.

Howard then made up for his earlier howler with a fine save to deny Berbatov but Jelavic was only stopped at the other end by a fine block from Sascha Riether.

And when Jagielka sent a 40-yard pass upfield, Fellaini was there to control it with his chest and fire home. He would have had a third but for a fine Schwarzer save.

There was then a sting in the tale when Riether swung in a last-minute cross and Sidwell turned it home.

Fulham boss Jol said after the match: "Everton dominated us, and in our home games that is not what I want.

"We don't give away the lead and lose here much.

I was happy we managed to keep that statistic going."



http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/280620/?