Fulham 1-3 Everton (Jimenez 17’ | Mykolenko 45+3, Keane 70’, Beto 73’)
CRAVEN COTTAGE – David Moyes will know full well that Everton need a rebuild bigger than Bramley-Moore Dock this summer. That is unchanged by victory at Fulham.
Though there is plenty of work to do, the honeymoon period might just be back on with that 10-game winless run ended and a two-goal lead that the Toffees managed to hold onto. After the collapse at home to Ipswich, Beto spoke of the “ghosts” haunting his side; Moyes is a little more realpolitik.
Many of Everton’s problems are psychological but there is a more pragmatic reason they have so often failed to control games. It stems from a reluctance to trust their own attack, which manifests as an inability to stay on the front foot.
For long spells here, the Fulham fan who knocked the ball back into play as it careered into the stands – to huge cheers – showed about as much attacking intent as anyone in blue.
Perhaps that is little wonder as Everton basked in a sun-baked Craven Cottage and for the first half did little else. Moyes’ line-up looked like an SOS to the Friedkins, his players having little to play for but their futures.
square FOOTBALL The ScoreEverton need significant improvement - but backing Moyes is risky business
Read More
Beto is one such case. Before clinching the three points with his goal, he had played stray passes, failed to hold the ball up and looked as if he had never seen Abdoulaye Doucoure before, let alone played with him for two years.
That strike, for which Bernd Leno ought to have done better, did matter. Not least because for the first time since Moyes’ return, Everton managed to win after conceding the first goal.
And if, as Beto says, they are encumbered by the spectre of their past failures, these milestones count. But they were always going to concede it when build-up passes so often went astray – and he was particularly guilty.
Beto only ended an eight-match barren run against Ipswich last week, which is why fans appear so divided on whether Moyes should keep him or bite Leeds’ hand off for £20m.
It is typical of his Jekyll and Hyde performances that just as he looked on the scrapheap, he weighed in with a goal; he is the club’s joint top scorer this season and their most prolific attacker since Sean Dyche’s sacking, and at the same time a conundrum who is impossible to work out.
There are still so many problems with this Everton side that were on display, from Jack Harrison’s finishing to Ashley Young and Michael Keane being continually exposed. Prior to his equaliser that took two deflections on the way in, Vitalii Mykolenko struggled too.
Moyes has always said that his biggest job is injecting some creativity, but that is difficult with the resources at his disposal. Even Liam Delap may not fix it. The Ipswich striker would add another dose of physicality but the real ask will be to offer much more than Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto currently produce.
If Beto does go, his replacement has got to be transformational. That is perhaps why Moyes has batted away suggestions he wants to bring back Richarlison.
Selling Beto would at least help to fund reinforcements that are badly needed elsewhere. A dozen players could go, from Michael Keane to Carlos Alcaraz, Doucoure and Ashley Young. A number of big earners are out of contract, so the summer really hinges on which senior players can be sold for a profit.
Your next read
square FOOTBALL‘He’s magnificent’: The jewel at the heart of Chelsea’s BlueCo empire
square FOOTBALLHappy birthday, FC United – the club Man Utd fans need more than ever
square FOOTBALLBattle of Bilbao? Spurs vs Man Utd smacks of El Crapico
square FOOTBALLFive players Arsenal should buy this summer – and five they should sell
Jordan Pickford is one of the few who is safe, emphasised with a superb one-handed save from Harry Wilson’s volley.
Confusing matters is that head of recruitment Dan Purdy is set to follow Kevin Thelwell out the door. That means Moyes is going to be heading up the responsibility of adding new talent, a significant ask for a 62-year-old who was not necessarily seen as the long-term candidate to halt Everton’s demise.
When Moyes got back in the dugout, they had scored 15 league goals in 20 games. Since then, it is 22 in 15. That might tell you they are headed in the right direction but there is no real future in this group. Doucoure, in particular, is not exactly playing his way back to the table after going public with his anger at stalled contract talks, to which Moyes retorted that he is “no spring chicken”.
The question is how much appetite for an overhaul there really is. It is hard to read too much into dead-rubber days like this; at this stage of the campaign Everton are used to relegation nail-biters, not merely denting their opponents’ European hopes.
The call on Beto sums up that headache – how big Everton are willing to dream, and crucially, spend. Or whether they are content with standing still.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Everton’s Beto decision sums up their transfer predicament )
Also on site :
- BetMGM Bonus Code NW150: Get Latest $150 Bonus for NBA, NHL, UFC 315
- LSU sees 4-star 2026 WR flip commitment to SMU
- 43 Mother's Day Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Every Type of Sweet Tooth