Everton	3 - 0	Fulham
Scorers Yakubu 51 Yakubu 61 Yakubu 79	Half Time ( 0 - 0 )	Booked Kamara 11 Omozusi 71

Yakubu scored a second-half hat-trick to leave Fulham in trouble near the bottom of the table after another devastating defeat on their travels.

Fulham, who haven’t won away from Craven Cottage for 15 months and have never won in the league at Goodison Park, never really looked like ending either record in a dour performance on a rain-soaked Merseyside.

Everton were in control for the whole game and it was surprising that the game was goalless at the interval. But the second-half belonged to Yakubu as the Nigerian went a long way to paying back his record signing fee.

The home side unsurprisingly made the brighter start and Joleon Lescott was denied by Antti Niemi’s good block and then the goalkeeper tipped over a free-kick as the first-half belonged to the Toffees.

Fulham didn’t create anything up front in the first 45 minutes in what was largely an unforgettable first-half. The Cottagers managed to hold the home side off before the break but it wasn’t because they did anything to keep their goalkeeper out the game but rather due to his efforts between the posts.

The game came to life in the second-half as Everton increased the pace and Fulham found it increasingly difficult to cope.

Six minutes after the interval Yakubu bundled home his first goal when Niemi saved Tim Cahill’s volley after the Australian turned and shot inside the box.

Danny Murphy brought a good one-handed save from Tim Howard with one of Fulham’s only chances of the game. But this was their best chance as Everton didn’t let them have a second bite.

Leon Osman brought a good near-post save from Niemi as Everton upped the tempo in the second-half. And Fulham struggled to deal with the pressure. Just 10 minutes after his first goal, Yakubu scored his second. Phil Jagielka flicked-on from Mikel Arteta’s corner and the powerful striker scored a simple header from close range.

He could’ve completed his hat-trick when he found himself in space on the inside right just inside the Fulham box. But rather than taking the chance himself he decided the square the ball to Cahill. The Australian made a mess of the shot and was waved offside any way.

But the Nigerian completed his hat-trick 11 minutes from time with a superbly taken effort. He picked up Steven Pienaar’s ball and hit a precise curling shot from outside the area which gave Niemi no chance.

The victory is Everton’s tenth successive game undefeated and the confidence within the team is growing all the time. They completely outplayed the London side and are beginning to look like a powerhouse in the Premiership.

Fulham’s position is becoming quite desperate as they slipped to their seventh defeat of the season. It was another unimpressive performance by the final whistle and after they seemed to have done the hard work in the first half, they again pressed the self-destruct button after the break and eventually fell to a convincing defeat.

Everton: Howard, Neville, Lescott, Yobo, Baines (Jagielka 23), Osman, Arteta, Cahill (Johnson 82), Carsley, Pienaar, Yakubu (McFadden 82).

Subs Not Used: Wessels, Anichebe.

Fulham: Niemi, Omozusi, Hughes, Stefanovic, Konchesky, Davies, Davis, Murphy (Ki-Hyeon 74), Kamara, Kuqi, Dempsey (Healy 64).

Subs Not Used: Warner, Bocanegra, Baird.

Att: 32,743

Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

By Ben Hughes