The home side’s intense pressure in the first 45 minutes had kept Everton at bay, but a frantic second half featured a flurry of goals and some decisive interventions by Toffees subs Steven Naismith, Kevin Mirallas and Aiden McGeady.
The visitors had struggled to impose themselves in the opening period and Fulham managed to trade punches well with their opponents, with young striker Moussa Dembele looking particularly impressive.
Roberto Martinez decided to shuffle his deck at the break as a result, and it didn’t take long for substitute Naismith to leave his mark on the game.
Within minutes of the second half the Scot had proved decisive, driving in a low shot from the edge of the Fulham area that was flicked on by Gareth Barry. David Stockdale took the final touch, deflecting the ball into his own net.
The goal seemed to deflate Fulham, and soon after Naismith managed to cut the home side open with a lovely weighted ball into the box, only for Leighton Baines to shoot wide.
Everton’s failure to finish could have been costly, after Ashkan Dejagah cut in on his right foot from the left flank and levelled the score with a thunderbolt in the 70th minute.
But eight minutes later the Toffees were ahead thanks to their substitutes once again. McGeady and Mirallas, who had both been brought on in the second period, combined well in the final third with the Belgian finishing off the move.
Naismith then settled the game with four minutes to play, poking home from close range in the box to cap a good afternoon for the Scotland international.
The result, combined with Arsenal’s draw against Manchester City at Saturday, means Everton trail the Gunners by only four points, with the important presence of a game in hand for the Toffees.
Martinez could make that advantage even more important if he can mastermind an Everton victory over Arsenal in direct competition, with Arsene Wenger’s side travelling to Goodison Park next Sunday.
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