Marco Silva returns to complete his mission of vengeance against wretched Everton

Harrison Reed gave Fulham the lead 22 minutes into the first half at Goodison Park. 2022-23

The revenge that Marco Silva inflicted on Everton could not have been sweeter if it had not been arranged by the famous Iriska from the Merseyside club. With one exception.

The Fulham manager must regret being denied a post-match opportunity to look into the eyes of Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and the directors who fired him, who are still in Goodison's exile.

Silva spent the whole year. In the final weeks of his 2019 spell at Everton, he begged to be acknowledged that the club's problems were much bigger than himself. His team couldn't have made that argument more convincing as Fulham put on a dashing second-half performance that yelled to the absent owner on Silva's behalf: «It was never me, it was always you.»

To be fair, the Portuguese coach was in no mood to lead. «I don't need one football match to prove something,» Silva said. “One game will not change the quality of what I do. I want to win the next game and the next game.”

The contrasting trajectories of Silva, Fulham and Everton speak for themselves. Silva moved on. Everton is gone, Sean Dyche had to urgently restore years of regression in a matter of weeks.

Considering he couldn't buy a win as his reign at Everton came to an unworthy end, Silva must have been struck by the familiar desperation inside Goodison as he plunged his former club into more trouble. Former Liverpool player Harry Wilson's landmark goal was another potent mixture of domestic anger.

Despite a few taunts when referee Anthony Taylor called the time in Fulham's 3-1 draw. win, there was a noticeable lack of toxicity. For the first time in their consecutive relegations, even the Everton fans sounded defeated.

Everton were punished for a chaotic start and a chaotic end. They briefly controlled the game on both sides of the break when tactical cunning in midfield allowed Dwight McNeil to equalize.

Dyche can argue he had no choice and the injuries caught up with him. This is another recurring complaint from recent Everton managers, not least Silva.

The truth is that Fulham made Everton look like a championship team for most of the day.

Harrison Reed put Fulham ahead. midway through the first half and after Willian beat Wilson, the visitors were a class ahead, as proved when Dan James had superb control to finish third.

Dyche acknowledged the unsettling return of bad habits. What was to be a setback for Fulham's second-goal conceded preceded the capitulation. “The play has changed. This is what we must change. It was a step back,” said Dytsch.

Now the main problems are Dytsch’s problems, not Silva’s, which need to be solved, since Everton does not have enough time.

Everton squads — Fulham 2022-23