Everton delivered a significant blow to Fulham’s hopes of qualifying for European competition by coming from behind to secure a victory at Craven Cottage.
Striker Beto and defender Michael Keane both scored within three minutes of each other, giving the Toffees their second win in 11 Premier League matches.
Fulham, aiming to keep pace with Brentford and Brighton in their pursuit of a European spot, took the lead in the 17th minute when Mexico striker Raul Jimenez headed in a cross from Emile Smith Rowe.
Marco Silva’s side dominated the first half, nearly doubling their lead with a low effort from Harry Wilson that was well saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
However, Everton equalized just before the break when a tame shot from Vitalii Mykolenko took a deflection off Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira, wrong-footing goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play in the 70th minute when Keane scored with a header from a corner taken by substitute Dwight McNeil. The goal was confirmed after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check for offside.
Everton added a third goal just 22 seconds after the restart, as Leno failed to handle Beto’s left-footed shot, allowing it to slip under his palm. This marked Beto’s eighth league goal of the season.
In injury time, Fulham were denied a penalty when referee Darren England reviewed a potential handball by Mykolenko at the pitchside monitor but ultimately decided to stick with his on-field decision of no penalty.
The defeat left Fulham in 11th place, four points behind eighth-placed Brentford, while Everton climbed to 13th.
