Everton vs Fulham Player Ratings: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall inspires Toffees’ win on home soil | OneFootball

Everton returned to winning ways with a 2-0 success over Fulham at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.

Idrissa Gana Gueye scored the opener just before the half-time break after the Blues thought they’d scored twice previously, only to see the linesman’s flag. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had a similar experience in the second half as he wheeled away in celebration only to be met with disappointment after Thierno Barry was adjudged to have participated in the move from an offside position despite not touching the ball.

Michael Keane scored the all-important insurance goal for his side from a fantastic header as the Toffees saw out the remainder of the contest comfortably to end their three-game winless run.

It was a much-improved performance from Everton on their return to their new waterfront home. The press was better, they won more of the midfield battles in the first half, and besides a 20-minute lull in the second half, they were by far the better side in this game.

David Moyes will be pleased with what he got from his boys after making a few changes to his usual lineup. He slotted James Garner at right-back and paired Gueye with Tim Iroegbunam in the middle of the park and persisted with Barry despite the criticism all week following his miss against Sunderland.

Here are the player ratings from Everton’s 2-0 win over Fulham at home:

Jordan Pickford: 7

Didn’t have a lot to do in this game but was reliable when called upon. Pickford made a great save off Rodrigo Muniz at the hour mark, which could’ve complicated proceedings had it gone in. His distribution was great as well.

James Garner: 6.5

He was impressive at right back and having him in that position also allowed Everton more comfort in playing out of the back, as Garner is better suited to finding solutions when pressured and stitching moves together. He was also threatening with set pieces and crosses into the box. There were only a couple of instances where he seemed to be troubled by Kevin, but he should get used to the role defensively with time.

James Tarkowski: 7

Tarkowski was a commanding presence at the back. It was his header that hit the crossbar that set up Idrissa Gueye’s opener. Was aggressive inside the opposition box throughout the contest.

Tarkowski also had the ball inside the back of the net with a lovely volley but he was offside in the initial buildup of the move.

Michael Keane: 7.5

Keane has been playing at a very high level so far this season. He’s been assured and composed at the back and tonight’s performance was no different.

He also made a lot of forays forward, especially in the second half, as the hosts pressed for the all-important second goal. That persistence paid off as Keane rose the highest to meet Dewsbury-Hall’s floated corner kick and directed it goalwards, which allowed Evertonians to breathe a sigh of relief inside the stadium.

Vitalii Mykolenko: 7

Mykolenko also had his best game for Everton in a while, and his first-half performance deserves a lot of praise. He delivered the lovely cross into the box from which Tarkowski hit the crossbar before Idrissa Gueye scored on the rebound and the Ukrainian's forward runs were positive. His floated ball into the box that led to the Dewsbury-Hall offside goal was also delicious. Mykolenko also adopted a safety-first approach at the back and recorded six clearances.

Idrissa Gueye: 8

Gueye’s performance was sublime as the veteran midfielder was everywhere. He was proactive in winning possession, stitching moves together while making late runs into the box. He showed a lot of wit, being at the right place at the right time to turn the ball in from Iroegbunam’s miscued effort following Tarkowski's header.

Tim Iroegbunam (replaced by Merlin Rohl at 67’): 6

It was a decent outing for Iroegbunam who was mostly involved off-the-ball and prevented Fulham from gaining a foothold in this game. Iroegbunam’s miscue in front of goal went down as an assist for Gueye. The 22-year-old kept plugging away but was also a passenger for large periods before being taken off after the hour mark.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (replaced by Jake O’Brien at 87’): 8.5

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had a majestic performance against Fulham tonight. He was influential both on and off the ball for Everton, recording the most touches, most tackles and most possession retrievals on the pitch. Dewsbury-Hall also led the Everton press on several occasions and assisted the second goal for Michael Keane with a delightful corner kick. He also had the ball in the back of the net, which was harshly ruled out for offside.

Iliman Ndiaye: 6.5

It’s rare to have Ndiaye not finishing the game as one of the best players for Everton, but tonight was one of those occasions. Let me be clear, the Senegalese didn’t have a bad game. Far from it, he kept things ticking but besides the cutback from Grealish, where his tame shot missed the frame of the goal, Ndiaye didn’t have much goalmouth action. He was ruled offside in the buildup to the first goal which Barry tapped home.

Thierno Barry: 6.5 (replaced by Beto at 78’)

Thierno Barry had his best performance in an Everton shirt against Fulham tonight. He was unfortunate not to have his first goal for the club after Ndiaye was offside in the buildup. His first touches were clean and his associative play showed quality.

However, he failed to keep his header from Ndiaye’s cross on target in the first half and Barry was also adjudged to have participated from an offside position that led to the cancellation of Dewsbury-Hall’s goal.

Despite not being on the scoresheet, it was arguably the most complete performance by an Everton striker this season. Yeah, it's not a great benchmark but the youngster should try to kick on from here and gain more confidence.

Jack Grealish: 6

Grealish had a quiet game by his standards but was safe in possession and kept Kenny Tete busy. Grealish being on the ball also opened up spaces for Mykolenko, Dewsbury-Hall and Barry to exploit but he wasn’t as actively involved in the game as he usually is.

Substitutions

Merlin Rohl: 6

Lost the ball shortly after coming on but soon stamped his quality on the game and won the corner that led to the second goal.

Beto: 6

There was one moment where Beto was played in behind the defence and beat his opposition in a foot race. However, he failed to create the separation necessary to make his way into the box. Decent 10-minute cameo.

Jake O’Brien: N/A