Gary Lineker in Everton rallying call amid ‘massive’ verdict from BBC Sport pundit after Fulham defeat
Gary Lineker has urged Everton to “rally” after the Toffees suffered a damaging 3-1 home defeat to Fulham on Saturday (15 April).
Goals from Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson and Dan James saw Marco Silva’s side end their four-game losing streak and inflict back-to-back losses on Sean Dyche’s men.
Talking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Jermaine Jenas and Lineker discussed the Toffees’ hopes of avoiding relegation to the Championship.
“Bournemouth at home is going to be a massive game along with the Leicester game,” said Jenas (Match of the Day, 1hr 4m 20s, 15 April).
“The fans turned on them a bit today, they went a little bit stale, and their performance was a bit down, Goodison Park when it’s rocking, is when they will get results and points, they need to get back to that as soon as possible.”
Lineker replied: “They need to rally.”
Spot on
Everton have done it a number of times over the past year and with the help of the fans, they must rally again. The defeat against Fulham came as a shock, but, ultimately, no game in the Premier League can be taken for granted. The West Londoners have enjoyed an excellent season to date but were severely struggling for form before their trip to Goodison Park.
Now it’s absolutely vital the Toffees respond. Under Dyche, their reaction to defeats has been relatively impressive and something similar will be required in their next Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson’s side are now all but safe and have been electric since their former boss took the reins at Selhurst Park.
With Leicester and Southampton both losing, the pain of the Fulham defeat was softened slightly, nonetheless, a run of consistent form will be required if they want to be a Premier League club come the start of the 2022/23 season.