The visiting Evertonians were singing Jordan Pickford’s praises from the first whistle at Craven Cottage and the England number one repaid them with an incredible save from a former Liverpool player in the Fulham side as he put his body on the line for the cause as the Blues toughed it out. With Harry Wilson having slipped clear of Vitalii Mykolenko, and chipped the ball over Pickford’s head, the goalkeeper made an acrobatic stop at full stretch to keep the shot out.
The 31-year-old went down immediately with a shoulder injury but after undergoing treatment on the pitch, he soldiered on to deal with everything else that came his way in what was a hugely satisfying 3-1 comeback with for the travelling fans in the London sunshine.
For Pickford it was a case of leading by example.
Both he and opposite number Bernd Leno shook hands before kick-off in what was a rare instance of each team being captained by their goalkeeper given that he is skippering the side with James Tarkowski sidelined with a hamstring injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the campaign and Seamus Coleman not entering the fray until stoppage time.
In what was a measure of each man’s consistency, as Times stats man Bill Edgar, pointed on the eve of the fixture, this was the first meeting of two goalkeepers on the back of over a century of Premier League starts apiece since another Everton custodian Tim Howard faced Liverpool’s Pepe Reina back in 2012.
But while Leno twice found himself bamboozled by Blues shots, having been outfoxed by the deflection on Vitalii Mykolenko’s effort but then badly culpable for Beto’s clincher, Pickford remained excellent.
Lapping up the applause following the final whistle, Pickford saluted the supporters in the away end as they belted out, like they had all afternoon: “He hates Newcastle, he hates the s***e, Jordan Pickford is dynamite.”
Not soft in the centre
Having been partnered by James Tarkowski for every Premier League game he’d played all season until the visit of Manchester City, Jarrad Branthwaite found himself in a third different combination in four matches for the trip to Fulham.
After the pair were together against Chelsea and Ipswich Town, Jake O’Brien has now joined Tarkowski on the treatment table, ensuring that over six months on from his last Premier League start – the 1-0 defeat at rock bottom Southampton on November 2 – Michael Keane was brought in from the cold at Craven Cottage.
Given that Branthwaite twice went down and had to undergo treatment in the first half, there were fears that soon-to-be free agent Keane, who is set to depart Everton this summer after eight years’ service, might suddenly be the only fit centre-back for Goodison Park’s final fixture against Southampton, but after battling on like Pickford, hopefully ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ can take his place for the historic occasion next weekend.
A model professional, Keane knows he was off the pace when he faced Manchester City, but in west London – like he’d been in the Blues’ first success on the road this term at Ipswich Town – he was back to dominating at both ends of the pitch.
David Moyes had bemoaned before Everton’s previous fixture that his team’s set-pieces had been “rubbish” and much of that had been down to delivery, but here, with substitute Dwight McNeil putting in the cross, Keane capitalised with a powerful back post header.
As usual, VAR, not once but twice with checks for first a potential foul and then offside, had a go at spoiling the party but on this occasion, even those pedants at Stockley Park couldn’t manufacture an excuse to punish the Blues.
Goodbye Goodison Park - Souvenir edition
Everton are soon set to say goodbye to Goodison Park as the Toffees play out their final few matches in their iconic home before moving to their incredible new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
And to celebrate this historic and poignant event, the ECHO has produced this stunning special souvenir edition that no fan can afford to be without as they bid farewell to their iconic and beloved home.
We have delved into the ECHO archives to unearth fascinating stories from the famous ground's past, including how it came to be built in 1892 and where its world-famous name came from.
Buy now and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents on Merseyside from April 2, 2025.
You can also purchase Goodison's Greatest, our celebration of an era when Everton ruled English football. If you love Everton, you’ll just love this - order your copy today, simply click here!
And that's not all, also available is ParkLife, a a high quality, 312 page publication showcasing 133-years of Goodison history in pictures. Available here. Then there's Farewell to Goodison, celebrating 100 of the best moments at the Grand Old Lady, available to purchase now.
Beto better again
As an emotional player who wears his heart on his sleeve and often appears close to tears on the pitch, Beto could have been forgiven for wondering what he had done wrong to find himself linked with a potential summer move to Leeds United this week.
However, the Everton striker put all thoughts of being sent off to Yorkshire and banished across the Pennines behind him with the clinching goal at Craven Cottage in front of the visiting fans who seemed to enjoy his strike as much as he did.
Having, by his own admission, almost exited Goodison Park in the January transfer window, the Guinea-Bissau international has enjoyed a remarkable rise in fortunes since David Moyes took charge.
His elevation was initially more out of necessity when Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury at Brighton & Hove Albion left Beto as the only fit striker at the club, but now with the number nine back fit, alongside Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti and the quartet all competing for a solitary slot, the former Udinese man is there on merit.
The 27-year-old – who found himself dropped for the games with Nottingham Forest and Manchester City – has blown hot and cold during this spell but after a purple patch of five goals in four Premier League games was followed by an eight-match drought, he’s now found his scoring touch again just in time for Goodison Park’s final fixture with back-to-back efforts against Ipswich Town and Fulham.
All joking apart, it would be curious for Everton to let Beto go to a potential ‘direct rival’ like newly-promoted Leeds ahead of next season, but whether he remains on Merseyside or not, he has now hit double figures in all competitions this term which is twice his tally from his first season at Goodison Park and for all his lack of polish, the 27-year-old gets on the end of chances... it’s just a case of how many he can take.
