The middle of the line

I didn’t watch this game, as I was driving up to Rugby from the south, so I had to listen to it on Radio 5. It sounded to me as if Fulham were not always on top – although Everton’s opening goal did seem to come after a period of Fulham possession.

Johnson, Zamora and Murphy were back from injury, and I wonder if one or two were brought back too early to shore up the team after the debacle at Villa Park. On the radio, Steve Claridge kept complaining that Duff and Dempsey were playing on the wrong sides, with a left-footed player on the right wing being forced to come inside or play off his weak foot and the same on the other side. Still, Duff scored the winning goal, so it can’t be that bad a tactic.

The most important aspect to the game, for me, is that Fulham came back from behind, and that the first goal did come after a period of heavy pressure. Everton are a quality side, and their current league position belies the strength of the squad. The whites started the game in 18th place, and are now in 10th, with one fewer game played than most other sides.

Next week sees the start of the Europa campaign with a trip to Sofia. If the returning players can get back on to top form, and the team is not too badly hit by the travelling, hopefully they can do well out there and also be in good shape to play against Wolves on the Sunday.