Fulham 0-0 Everton: Toffees winless run continues
Published 17:00 25/09/10 By MirrorFootball
Everton's wait for a first Barclays Premier League victory continues after they were held to a drab goalless draw at Craven Cottage.
David Moyes will be the more satisfied manager after Everton controlled long spells of a match that did not show signs of life until the final half-hour.
Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer made a fine save from Ayegbeni Yakubu in the 78th minute while Dickson Etuhu failed to convert the Cottagers' best chance.
Fulham started with Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera in attack for today's Barclays Premier League clash with Everton.
Damien Duff returned after missing the midweek Carling Cup defeat to Stoke with a calf injury while Diomansy Kamara featured in the squad for the first time in almost a year.
Tim Howard returned in goal for Everton while Mikel Arteta replaced Diniyar Bilyaletdinov in midfield. South African Steven Pienaar was also recalled to the starting XI.
Everton made the brighter start but it took a well-timed tackle from their defender Phil Jagielka to deny Dempsey a great chance.
Carlos Salcido sped into the box and squared to Dempsey, who was about to shoot from the edge of the area only for Jagielka to intervene
Tim Cahill, back having missed the last two games with a knee injury, became tangled with Brede Hangeland as Everton threatened and then Pienaar saw an attempt saved by Mark Schwarzer.
Seamus Coleman was proving influential for the Toffees down the right side as Fulham continued to find themselves on the back foot.
Schwarzer had to react smartly to gather a dangerous cross from Phil Neville with Leighton Baines lurking in the six-yard box.
A dynamic run from Baines kept Everton on the front foot and Fulham's problems grew when Stephen Kelly limped off to be replaced by Chris Baird.
Gera opened up his box of tricks to skip past Baines before producing a tame shot that failed to trouble Howard.
Better was to come from Fulham when Simon Davies found Salcido who expertly teed up Dickson Etuhu, only for the Nigerian's header to find the arms of Howard.
Arteta tried his luck from long range but the Spaniard's shot drifted narrowly wide of the right post.
The impressive Salcido stopped Cahill in his tracks with a textbook challenge as the second half got off to an attritional start.
Gera sent a shot across the face of goal and was then replaced by Eddie Johnson as manager Mark Hughes looked to inject some life into his side.
Fulham responded by producing a slick move that saw Dempsey force a desperate save from Howard before Duff's follow-up was deflected to safety.
Cahill was then replaced by Leon Osman in the 62nd minute, just moments after Baines had gone close with an acrobatic overhead kick.
Everton should have crept ahead when Coleman showed athleticism to find the near post where Yakubu failed to connect while under pressure from Schwarzer.
Dempsey then went close as the match finally began to open up.
A brilliant fingertip save from Yakubu's low piledriver showed exactly why manager Mark Hughes battled so hard to prevent Schwarzer from joining Arsenal last summer.
Schwarzer advanced off his line to keep Yakubu at bay once more before Kamara, playing his first game for Fulham since January, saw a weak penalty shout rejected by Howard Webb.
Yakubu had two chances to snatch victory but his first effort bobbled agonisingly wide of the right post before he missed a sitter with the last kick of the game.
