Fulham 1-3 Everton

Ashkan Dejagah’s thundering shot was not even a consolation as Fulham sunk deeper in the mire.

Two weeks ago when the midfielder struck in much the same way against Newcastle it proved to be the winner. This time, it was a poor return for a spirited performance snuffed out by David Stockdale’s inadvertent stumble into the ball for an own goal.

Two Toffees subs made sure it was a bad day, when Kevin Miralles curled low and true as he latched on to Aidan McGeady’s defence splitter.

Steven Naismith’s prod from five yards, three minutes from time heralded an almighty stampede to the exits from home fans.

And yet, Fulham could so easily have won it.

Former Everton defender John Heitinga left his previous pals floundering when he headed goalwards in the second half.

Tim Howard was equal to that, and again when he used his legs to divert Patjim Kasami’s drive straight after.

Fulham tore into the first half like they hadn’t a care in the world.

The side at the wrong end of the table looked to be the boys in blue rather than white, and John Arne Riise’s sweeping cross barely two minutes in saw Lewis Holtby wastefully sky over when in the clear on the right.

A last-ditch tackle from James McCarthy then denied Kieran Richardson and Steve Sidwell was an inch from connecting to Brede Hangeland’s header from the resulting corner.

In the space of 20 seconds both keepers had to save with their legs.

Howard blocked Richardson’s low shot as the midfielder latched onto a diagonal pass, and as the ball broke, Gerard Deulofeu jinked down the right to bring an almost identical stop from Stockdale at his near post.

Riise crossed a couple of minutes later and Holtby’s arcing header at the back post needed an agile Howard to tip over.  

But the game temporarily ran out of steam in the last five minutes before the break underlined when a sweeping Fulham move started by Hangeland came to nothing when Dembele, like Holtby at the start, thumped a rising shot that gave Row z catching practice.

The striker was even more wasteful with the last action of the half when Holtby’s cross saw Dembele head tamely into Howard’s arms from point-blank range.

Fulham were made to pay five minutes into the second half courtesy of poor Stockdale’s stumble into the ball for 0-1 as he inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net from Naismith’s drive.

Shortly after, Leighton Baines outpaced Sascha Riether down the right to send in a cross-cum-shot that thankfully drifted past Stockdale’s far post.

For the second time, Stockdale’s outstretched leg came to the rescue when he brilliantly stopped Romelu Lukaku’s piledriver from 15 yards.

But Everton were home-and-hosed when they scored a second time.

Almost a week to the day seven years ago, a 4-1 defeat by Everton put paid to Chris Coleman’s reign as manager.

Felix Magath has no such worries right now, but his team do.

Fulham: 4-1-3-1-1: Stockdale, Reither, Heitinga, Hangeland, Riise; Kvist (Woodrow 64), Sidwell, Kasami, (Dejagah 64); Holtby; Dembele (Roberts 82); subs not used: Stekelenburg, Diarra, Bent