Michael Keane admitted he “fancied his chances” of finding the net after his late goal sealed a much-needed 2-0 victory for Everton against Fulham at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The centre-back turned home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner nine minutes from time, with the ball bouncing off his shoulder and looping beyond the goalkeeper. The goal doubled Everton’s lead after Idrissa Gueye had opened the scoring from close range in first-half stoppage time.
The Blues were made to work for their win, having seen three earlier goals ruled out for offside — each one drawing frustrated groans from the home crowd. But Michael Keane’s decisive finish settled the nerves and helped David Moyes’ side claim three valuable points that lifted them up to 11th in the Premier League table.
“The win was very much needed,” Michael Keane told Premier League Productions after the game. “We’ve been frustrated recently that we haven’t picked up more results, so today feels really good.
“I’m very pleased to score. I knew it hit my shoulder, but I also knew it was safe — no chance of being disallowed. We work on set-pieces a hell of a lot, and one of the targets today was me, so I fancied my chances.”
Michael Keane’s defensive partner, James Tarkowski, praised the team’s overall display, highlighting how Everton dominated for long spells and showed composure at key moments.
“We played really well and controlled most of the game,” Tarkowski told BBC Sport. “We finally got that clean sheet we’ve been looking for.
“Lately we’ve been struggling a bit — not scoring enough when we needed to and conceding some sloppy goals. The margins are tiny at this level, but today we got it right.
“We had a couple of disallowed goals that were really close. But our record here is decent, and you can feel how much the crowd helps us. It’s a great stadium and the atmosphere was fantastic again today.”
The victory marks a positive response from Moyes’ men after a patchy run of form and continues their steady climb up the table. With defensive solidity returning and goals from unexpected sources like Keane, Everton’s momentum appears to be building at just the right time.
