Here are your Everton FC evening headlines for Sunday, October 30.
Everton fade at Fulham
Everton's draw with Fulham provided reasons for positivity, frustration and anger for Frank Lampard and the travelling Blues fans.
This was a much better display than the toothless performance at Newcastle United and defeat at Tottenham Hotspur - Everton were able to test home keeper Bernd Leno this time and did create chances. It was also another example of the resilience that runs through this side. This was a clean sheet against a free-scoring side in good form, and one that was built on the heroics of Jordan Pickford and the bravery of Vitalii Mykolenko, Conor Coady and James Tarkowski in particular.
READ MORE: 'Undermined by a toothless attack' - National media react to Everton's stalemate with Fulham
But Everton still have issues with creativity, intensity and being able to grasp control of a game - all of which came to the fore on Saturday evening. The astonishing decision not to send Aleksander Mitrovic off for his ugly challenge on Idrissa Gueye is a justified source of anger and had VAR intervened the complexion of the game would have been vastly different.
Put simply, this was another game in which there were signs of progress, but in which the squad's limitations were also on show - and for all the positive steps clearly being made under Lampard, they are not being made so quickly that Everton can easily overcome their opposition when big decisions going against them.
Read Joe Thomas' Everton talking point from the draw at Fulham here.
Lampard's selection dilemmas
Everton return to Premier League action on Saturday evening when they welcome Leicester City to Goodison Park.
The Toffees return home after the battling 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage took them on to 14 points for the season. And with the squad now nearing full-strength, Lampard has some tough decisions to make.
Four of the back five are all-but guaranteed a place in the lineup come Saturday, with Jordan Pickford, Vitalii Mykolenko, Conor Coady and James Tarkowski all outstanding once again yesterday. But Nathan Patterson's return from injury - he managed just short of half an hour off the bench at Fulham - provides Lampard with his first selection headache.
Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray were given the nod this weekend, but another frustrating evening for Gordon could push Lampard into making a change with Dwight McNeil impressive off the bench and pushing hard for a starting place. Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a couple of good chances at Craven Cottage, but his commanding presence leading the line has helped Everton and he needs minutes to return to his clinical best.
See the rest of Lampard's selection headaches here.
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