Fulham v Everton: Premier League – live!

7.17am EST 07:17

GOAL! Fulham 1-1 Everton (Decordova-Reid 15)

This is beautifully done, Cairney’s cushioned return pass setting Decordova-Reid at Mina. His first touch is lovely, Mina looking like a waiter carrying a bunch of trays, and he steadies himself before drilling low across Pickford. “REDEMPTION!” cries Peter Drury in his lounge.

Bobby Decordova-Reid scores for Fulham Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/Reuters

Updated at 7.20am EST

7.15am EST 07:15

13 min Better from Fulham, Robinson wriggling for the line and cutting back a low pass that falls nicely for Decordova-Reid … who takes a wild swing and doesn’t get enough of it. That was a very good chance, but also very much better from Fulham.

7.14am EST 07:14

12 min Everton are having their way with Fulham here, a simple give-and-go seeing Godfrey away down the right. His cross is a decent one too, all the more so when Aina makes a pig’s posterior of dealing with it, but Areola does just enough to stop Calvert-Lewin scoring again.

7.12am EST 07:12

11 min On the touchline, Scott E. Parker looks absolutely furious, and a flicked ear away from bursting into tears.

7.11am EST 07:11

10 min Robinson gives it away to Richarlison who immediately drives at the Fulham box, but Andersen does well to get in the road.

7.10am EST 07:10

8 min I’m going to sound extremely yer da here, which I guess is what I am (if I’m really honest wiv myself), but crossing a dead ball is a repeatable skill, so why are players so bad at it? Are they practising hard enough?

7.09am EST 07:09

7 min Fulham win a free-kick on the right, not far outside the box, and Cairney curls it directly onto Richarlison’s Spud-like bonce. Nonsense.

Photograph: Allstar/CHANNEL FOUR FILMS

7.08am EST 07:08

5 min “Can I shock you Daniel?” says Stephen Carr. “Fulham are mindbendingly awful.”

It’s not looking good. There are loads of examples of teams who’ve started dreadfully then stayed up, but it’s extremely hard to identify a way for that to happen with these.

7.06am EST 07:06

3 min Just as the goal came I was noting Martin Keown’s observation that only three of Fulham’s starting XI started on the opening day of the season. That does not speak well of their process, though they did finish last season late.

7.04am EST 07:04

2 min Goodness me, that is a heel to Fulham’s collective solar plexus.

7.04am EST 07:04

GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Everton (Calvert-Lewin, 42 seconds)

And there’s Richarlison de Andrade! Decordova-Reid Lookman gives it away shpritzing a crossfield ball, Aina then gives it away, Decordova-Reid then gives it away, it hits Adarabioyo, and Richarlison pounces, dashing down the left side of the box and screwing over a low cross that Calvert-Lewin runs home barely aware of the fact.

Calvert-Lewin gets the final touch Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters Calvert-Lewin thanks Richarlison for the assist Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

Updated at 7.52am EST

7.01am EST 07:01

1 min Off we go, using the winter ball which is no doubt sponsored by sponsorship.

6.59am EST 06:59

There’s going to be a swimming pool on top of the new stand they’re building at Craven Cottage. That is so Fulham.

6.57am EST 06:57

Email! “Love the PSG tache photo,” says Mark Hooper, “but I’m afraid the caption is wrong. It should read ‘DS Tosh Lines is joined by PC Reg Hollis (disguised as a football ‘casual’) before a drugs bust.”

There they are, the lads. Photograph: Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock Photograph: FremantleMedia Ltd/Rex Feature

6.55am EST 06:55

Ancelotti tells Lineker that his team lost a bit of spirit in the last few weeks and he’s pleased to have Richarlison back. He also reiterates that he’s worked with Calvert-Lewin on one-touch finishes, like Inzaghi.

Iwobi, Richarlison and Allan warm up with the new winter footballs Photograph: Julian Finney/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 7.02am EST

6.54am EST 06:54

Naturally, Murphy doesn’t like the panenka, but Lineker explains that goalies watch your technique so you need to change things up. I wonder about this – if you can drill it top corner every time, why wouldn’t you, because there’s nothing the keeper can do. When Bruno Fernandes had to take one with the last kick of the game at Brighton, he didn’t jump or hop, he just cleansed it into the postage stamp and raised his arms.

6.51am EST 06:51

“I like anyone who’s brave enough to take penalties,” says former penalty-taker Danny Mills.

6.51am EST 06:51

Scott Parker says his team “Are improving in many ways (to be quite honest wiv you),” even in the games they’ve drawn and lost. He confirms that Mitrovic is on the bench for tactical reasons, and he’s picked a team he thinks can hurt Everton, then goes on to say that he’s spoken to both Mitrovic and Lookman about penalties and getting their process right.

6.48am EST 06:48

Danny Murphy has seen more of Fulham than I have, and thinks they’ve bought much more sensibly than last time they came up, and have improved defensively of late. Like any selfish football fan, I hope they stay up because I love going to Craven Cottage to say nothing of the standard of hostelries in the locale.

6.44am EST 06:44

Something to nourish your jelly-stuff:

Hungary’s Golden Squad: the greatest team never to win it all? | John Ashdown

That is an extract from this, in which you can also find Barney Ronay, Scott Murray and John Brewin.

Updated at 6.45am EST

6.41am EST 06:41

Tangentially, QPR beat Liverpool to reach that final, Liverpool contriving two own-goals in the second leg of the semi.

6.37am EST 06:37

Simple but classic.

Ian Rsh poses with his ‘leaving presents’ from Chelsea of a large bottle of Frascati, and a bunch of celery before his last match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 9 May 1987 before transferring to Juventus in Italy. Photograph: Getty Images

Especially given it was replaced with this.

John Aldridge celebrates after scoring a goal for Liverpool. Photograph: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images

Especially given it didn’t previously exist (but Malcolm Shotton’s did, oh yes).

John Aldridge and Malcolm Shotton pose with the trophy after Oxford United beat QPR to win the 1986 Milk Cup. R Sport Photograph: Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 6.38am EST

6.31am EST 06:31

I’m very much enjoying the mustache feature above, so here’s a favourite of mine.

PSG coach Arthur Jorge (L) sits alongside his deputy, Denis Troch, at Lyon in October 1998. Photograph: Philippe Desmazes/AFP/Getty Images

6.28am EST 06:28

But otherwise, let’s have a chat about what it all means. Scott E. Parker has Mario Lemina available again, so he comes back into midfield with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa dropping out, while in attack, Ivan Cavaleiro replaces Aleksandr Mitrovic.

As for Everton, Richarlison returns for Bernard, who scored last time out, Gylfi Sigurdsson is replaced by Alex Iwobi, while Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina come in for Mason Holgate and Seamus Coleman.

There’s some hope here for Fulham. Unless Everton are playing 3-5-2, Godfrey will be at right-back, where he was given an absolute going-over by Southampton a couple of games ago; what better way for Lookman to redeem himself than by getting stuck into that?

Everton, meanwhile, will benefit from the ball-carrying of Iwobi, even if his decision-making needs attention.

Updated at 6.29am EST

6.21am EST 06:21

And then I presume we all thought about Ademola Lookman. It will have been a long international break for him.

Photograph: Jed Leicester/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

6.13am EST 06:13

Teams!

Fulham (a good, honest, old-fashioned 4-2-3-1): Areola; Aina, Adarabioyo, Andersen, Robinson; Reed, Lemina; Lookman, Cairney, Cavaleiro; Reid. Subs: Rodak, Odoi, Ream, Bryan, Anguissa, Loftus-Cheek, Mitrovic.

Everton (a continental 4-4-expletive-2): Pickford; Godfrey, Keane, Mina, Digne; Iwobi, Doucouré, Allan, James; Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison. Subs: Olsen, Holgate, Davies, Gomes, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Tosun.

VAR’s straight man: Andy Madley (Huddersfield)

5.21am EST 05:21

Preamble

It’s only November, but this is an absolutely colossal game. Fulham are fourth-bottom of the table, and I’m sure they’d be happy to still be there in mid-May, but the portents are not positive. That they have not looked good since getting promoted is only part of it – just as troubling for them is that below them are Burnley and Sheffield United, better teams with better players and better managers, who can legitimately be expected to improve, and above them are Brighton, Leeds, Newcastle and West Ham, better teams with better players and better managers. Which is to say that we’re watching a change in the Premier League this season: the majority of bottom-half sides can give all top-half sides a proper sorting.

So Fulham need to get some points and fast, and in theory, a home game with Everton, who’ve lost three games in a row, is a decent candidate. Except those three defeats have coincided with the suspension of Richarlison who, for all the artistry of James Rodríguez, goals of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and dark arts of Allan is still the team’s best and most important player. He’s back today, and there’s a fair chance he’ll make a decisive difference.

Oh, and it’s live on BBC1!

Kick-off: 12pm GMT

Updated at 6.03am EST