Parker’s star turns escape the black hole
SCIENTISTS were this week giddy with excitement over photographic evidence of a black hole, an entity whose gravitational pull is so great it is capable of swallowing planets whole.
Fulham’s goalmouth had resembled something similar this season as ball after ball was sucked in on a weekly basis. Here at Craven Cottage, however, we witnessed our own phenomenon.
For the first time in 2019, Scott Parker’s side kept a clean sheet. After conceding two or more goals in their previous 13 games and following nine consecutive Premier League losses, they won.
This was no fluke, either. Everton deserved what they got — distinctly nothing — as Tom Cairney and Ryan Babel scored the goals which put a dent in their charge for the top seven.
This was Fulham’s first outing since their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. Perhaps knowing their fate took away the pressure that had crippled them this season.
‘We knew there would be questions,’ said caretaker Scott Parker, who is very much in the running for the permanent manager’s job. ‘Are they on the beach? Are they still up for the fight?
‘Ultimately they answered those questions. We were superb from start to finish.’
Everton manager Marco Silva, who was chasing a fourth consecutive win, added: ‘A bad day for us. We were on a very, very good run. We did not expect this performance. We must analyse why.’
Fulham were supposed to represent fish in a barrel but they were the ones who came out shooting. By the half hour mark, Aleksandar Mitrovic had attempted five shots.
Everton had managed two in total and Silva was animated on the sideline.
How, against a team that had conceded 76 goals heading into this game, the most by a club in all of Europe’s elite leagues, were they the ones on the ropes?
In the 42nd minute, Mitrovic took aim from 15 yards. Jordan Pickford was a bystander as the powerful attempt beat him but not the woodwork. That was shot number seven from the striker.
The visitors had been lacklustre. There was no imagination, no fire in their bellies. Richarlison had done little, while Dominic CalvertLewin was anonymous.
Whatever Silva said at half-time did not have the desired effect. Just 31 seconds into the start of the second half, Everton were 1-0 down.
Babel played a one-two with Mitrovic before squaring the ball to Cairney, whose left-footed shot from 18 yards beat Pickford.
Everton thought they had their equaliser when Gylfi Sigurdsson found Calvert-Lewin, who toepoked towards goal. Some away supporters started to celebrate, then it skimmed the post and went wide.
Fulham did not sit back, despite having the lead. They tried to secure a second goal and got it when Babel was played through by Mitrovic. The former Liverpool striker had the pace to escape Everton’s Seamus Coleman then dinked the ball over Pickford for 2-0.
Fulham went into this facing a 10th successive defeat — their worst run of results since 1962. Now, they had daylight and were heading for a rare win.
On their bench was Harvey Elliott, the Fulham academy kid who only turned 16 last week. For those wishing to feel old, that’s more recently than films such as Ice Age, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and My Big Fat Greek Wedding were released.
Parker decided against handing him his Premier League debut, which would have made him the division’s youngest-ever player. His time will come soon enough.
Referee Lee Probert added on eight minutes at the end and midfielder Andre Gomes should have seen red when he stamped on Mitrovic. Probert missed it but VAR would not next season. Retrospective action could and should follow.
In the end, Everton could not stage a late comeback. Finally, Fulham had a clean sheet — their first since December — and their fans had a reminder of what it was like to win.