After last week’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, many of us expected a similar performance. Boy, were we wrong as Bipolar FC returned and fought for a hard-earned point away at Marco Silva’s Fulham, with the game finishing 0-0.
In the first half, both teams had chances but it was Everton that had the best chance to take the lead inside twenty minutes when Demarai Gray’s whipped cross beat everyone.
All Dominic Calvert-Lewin needed to do was steer the ball goalwards and it was a goal, he only managed to get minimal of touches on the ball as it went wide across the goal for a goal kick. If Calvert-Lewin had missed the ball though, Anthony Gordon was on the back post for the simplest of tap-ins for the second week in a row, but Calvert-Lewin’s touch took the ball away from Gordon.
Moments later and once again in an Everton game, VAR was the centre of attention when Aleksandar Mitrovic was late on Gana Gueye and caught his shin, yards away from the referee. John Brooks who was in charge of the game brandished a yellow after giving himself a moment to think, and you could see from Mitrovic’s reaction he was expecting a red card, he knew he was late. Darren England who was on VAR last weekend when Zaha wasn’t shown red, was once again in charge of VAR in an Everton game and according to the LiverpoolEcho VAR was checked and the reason a red card was not shown was the following.
The fact that the challenge was low and came from close proximity to Gueye meant the intensity was apparently not sufficient to warrant the referee to check the monitor. – LiverpoolEcho
At the start of the second half and it seems VAR was still turned off when Willian went down after he felt he was tripped by Gana Gueye. In real time it looked close and after replays, if that was Calvert-Lewin I would be asking for a penalty. VAR apparently looked at the incident and felt Gana won the ball.
The remainder of the second half was played in Everton’s half with Jordan Pickford being Everton’s savour, along with the rest of the back four. Willian went close a few times, but Fulham’s best chance came in the final 10 minutes. Willian who was playing like he was during his Chelsea days, skipped past Patterson before pulling the ball back to Diop for what was a tap in, however, James Garner was determined to help Pickford keep a clean sheet as he slid in and poked the ball away from a certain goal.
A draw was the best result for Everton who had no shots on target in the second half which is worrying especially when you realise that in the last two games away from home Everton had zero shots on target in both of those games. Things will take time, but once again. If that fixture was last season, I believe we would have conceded late on but with Tarkowski, Coady and Pickford playing as they are, I am no longer as nervous late on in games.
What did you think about the game?
Do you think it was a red card? Was it a penalty?
Let us know in the comments or get in touch through our socials Facebook and Twitter @EFCVital
Not sure where the comparison is when Fulham had a stone wall pen not given at the other end.
If you are on about the “holding” no chance. Replays have shown both players had as much as each other, Willian was a penalty all day long.
The Mitrovic foul wasn’t really a stamp and did not result in serious injury. There didn’t seem to be any malice involved and the argument from the officials seems fair enough, although it wouldn’t have surprized me if it had been a red. The Willian foul was a foul all day long. He was clipped in full flow in the area and no contact on ball. Smacks of ‘evening up’ thinking!
Willian was a penalty all day long, I didn’t say it was a stamp. It did deserve a red card though and after Dermot Gallagher’s comments earlier in the season when he said. Any contact above the ankle is a red card… It makes no sense why he wasn’t shown a red.