PREM: Everton 3-0 Fulham

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored twice in Everton's 3-0 win

Gylfi Sigurdsson's double helped Everton to a 3-0 win against Fulham after a sparkling second-half performance.

The first half was a mostly drab affair, but Marco Silva's half-time team talk worked as Everton burst into life and Sigurdsson made up for missing a 51st-minute penalty with a curling opener five minutes later.

Cenk Tosun (65) nodded home from close range to double the lead before Sigurdsson (89) scored his second late on to give Everton their first clean sheet this season.

 

Fulham were forced into an early substitution after Timothy Fosu-Mensah landed heavily on his elbow, and he was replaced by Cyrus Christie in the eighth minute. The visitors had a good chance to take the lead five minutes later as Ryan Sessegnon pulled the ball back for Andre Schurrle at the top of the area, but he lifted his strike just over the crossbar.

 

Marcus Bettinelli was twice called into action not long afterwards. He kept out an effort from Kurt Zouma near the back post after Lucas Digne's well-delivered free-kick, although the offside flag was raised against the Frenchman. Bettinelli then denied Theo Walcott, who fired from just outside the area, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin unable to convert the loose ball.

 

The best chance of the first half came in the 43rd minute. After some patient build-up from Fulham, Jean Michael Seri drove towards the box before flashing the ball through the area. Sessegnon was incoming at the back post and with only Jordan Pickford to beat, he agonisingly put his chipped effort onto the underside of the crossbar before it went wide.

Everton came racing out of the traps in the second half and, after a big miss from Richarlison, the hosts were awarded a penalty in the 50th minute. Denis Odoi nudged Calvert-Lewin over in the area and Sigurdsson stepped up to take it, but saw his effort ping onto the crossbar.

 

But he redeemed himself six minutes later with a wonderful strike to break the deadlock. Sigurdsson slipped in Jonjoe Kenny, who did well to keep the ball in play on the right and cut it back into the area. Odoi cleared, but only as far as the Iceland international, who curled a beautiful effort around his marker and into the bottom corner.

Ten minutes later, and substitute Tosun doubled the lead. Kenny was involved again, playing Walcott in down the right of the area before the latter put a superb ball across the face of goal. Tosun was waiting at the back post to nod home at point-blank range and score just his second goal at Goodison Park.

Everton continued to dominate and got a deserved third with a minute of normal time to play. Seconds after coming on as a substitute, Bernard broke down the field - bamboozling Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa on the left flank - before cutting the ball back for Sigurdsson at the top of the area. He then swept the ball home, leaving Bettinelli rooted to the spot as Everton comfortably took all three points.