Alan Shearer raves about Everton star who ‘Fulham couldn’t handle’ after MOTD footage
Everton continued their Premier League unbeaten run on Saturday afternoon with a comeback victory over Fulham.
Vitalii Mykolenko’s unfortunate own goal gave the hosts the lead, with Jordan Pickford parrying Raul Jimenez’s shot straight into the defender, who diverted the ball across the line.
However, David Moyes’ side came roaring back in the second half, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall firing home the equaliser with 15 minutes remaining, before Bernd Leno punched into his own net to gift the Toffees all three points.
Everton have now gone five games without defeat in the top-flight, and have moved up to eighth in the table.
Alan Shearer picks out Vitalii Mykolenko
Mykolenko has struggled with fitness issues at times this season and missed Everton’s 1-1 draw with Brighton last week.
The Ukrainian international was back in action against Fulham, but his return to the starting lineup got off to the worst possible start as his own goal gave the hosts the lead.
Mykolenko made amends in the second half, though, cutting past Joachim Andersen on the left-hand side and finding Dewsbury-Hall in the box, who made no mistake with the finish.
Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Alan Shearer was full of praise for the left-back and his performance after the break.
Shearer highlighted how Mykolenko was much further up the pitch in the second half, helping Everton put in a much-improved display.
He said: “Fulham should’ve scored two or three in that first half. Then what was different (in the second half) was that Everton played with more courage, committed more players into the box. They played with more freedom, more pace to their game.
“They pressed higher, set a trap. Mykolenko’s higher up the pitch, a lot further forward, and Fulham couldn’t handle it. Much, much better in the second half.”
Everton continue second-half revival trend
It comes as no surprise that Everton started slowly against Fulham, given their recent first-half performances in the Premier League.
Before their trip to Craven Cottage, Moyes’ side had been losing at the break in each of their last two games, before coming back to snatch draws.
History seemed to be repeating itself in West London, but the Toffees were able to complete a full turnaround on this occasion, coming away with all three points.
While Moyes will be delighted that his side managed to secure victory and that they were so impressive in the second half, he won’t want the trend to continue for much longer.
If Everton are to have any chance of European football next season, then they must address their poor first-half displays.