Fulham against Everton at Craven Cottage has never been English footballโs grandest rivalry. There are no decades of simmering hatred, no derby bitterness, and nobody is painting their face at seven in the morning because the other lot live three streets away.
Yet somehow, this fixture has developed a habit of producing wonderfully strange football.
There have been last-minute winners, bizarre collapses, survival scraps, free-scoring thrillers and the occasional game where Everton arrive looking like title challengers and leave west London wondering what on earth just happened. Craven Cottage, with its old stands, riverside setting and slightly deceptive appearance of calm, has often been the stage for Evertonโs most frustrating afternoons and Fulhamโs most satisfying ones.
The History of Fulham vs Everton
Fulham and Everton first met in the league in 1949, after Fulham won promotion to the top flight. Everton were already one of English footballโs established names, while Fulham were still trying to prove they belonged at that level.
For much of the fixtureโs history, Everton held the upper hand overall. The Merseyside club spent more time in the top division and usually arrived with the stronger squad. Fulham, meanwhile, often bounced between divisions and had long spells outside the top flight.
Craven Cottage has tended to narrow that gap.
Fulham have often found a different level at home against Everton. Perhaps it is the smaller pitch, the tighter atmosphere, or simply the fact that Everton have occasionally looked oddly uncomfortable beside the Thames. Whatever the reason, the Cottage has produced far more balanced contests than the overall head-to-head might suggest.
Fulham vs Everton Head-to-Head at Craven Cottage
Before the 2026 meeting, Fulham and Everton had met more than 35 times at Craven Cottage in league and cup competition.
| Result at Craven Cottage | Approximate Total |
|---|---|
| Fulham wins | 15 |
| Everton wins | 11 |
| Draws | 10 |
Fulham have scored slightly more goals at home in the fixture, while Everton have often struggled to turn possession into victories in west London.
The Premier League era has been especially even. Since Fulham returned to the top flight in 2001, the fixture at Craven Cottage has swung back and forth, with neither side managing to dominate for very long.
Why Craven Cottage Has Been Difficult for Everton
On paper, Everton have often arrived with the bigger reputation. In practice, Craven Cottage has been an awkward place for them.
Part of that comes down to style. Everton sides, particularly during the David Moyes years, often preferred direct football, physical battles and quick transitions. Fulham at home have usually been more patient and comfortable in possession.
Craven Cottage also has a habit of changing the mood of a game. If Fulham start brightly, the crowd gets involved quickly. The ground is compact, the noise carries, and suddenly an ordinary mid-table fixture starts to feel far more uncomfortable.
Everton have also developed an unfortunate talent for conceding late goals in this fixture. A surprising number of meetings in west London have been decided in the final ten minutes, often after Everton looked perfectly in control. Supporters of both clubs probably know the feeling well. Fulham fans call it persistence. Everton fans usually call it something less printable.
The Most Celebrated Fulham vs Everton Matches at Craven Cottage
Fulham 2-1 Everton, April 2004
This was one of the games that helped establish Fulham as a difficult side to face at home in the early Premier League years.
Everton arrived chasing European qualification under David Moyes, but Fulham were excellent on the break. Luis Boa Morte was electric, the crowd was lively, and Fulham scored a late winner after Everton had dragged themselves level.
The result mattered because it hinted at something that would become familiar over the next two decades. Everton could dominate large stretches of the game at Craven Cottage and still find a way to lose.
Fulham 2-1 Everton, November 2009
Roy Hodgsonโs Fulham side were one of the best organised teams in the league and this was one of their most complete home performances.
Fulham pressed Everton aggressively, controlled midfield and deservedly won through goals from Erik Nevland and Damien Duff. Everton looked strangely flat and spent most of the afternoon chasing shadows.
This was the season in which Fulham reached the Europa League final, and the victory over Everton felt like part of that wider story. They were clever, disciplined and quietly ruthless.
Fulham 2-1 Everton, September 2018
A fixture that summed up Everton under Marco Silva.
There were moments of sharp attacking football, several chances to put the game away, and then, with impressive commitment, a complete defensive collapse.
Everton led through Theo Walcott before Fulham came roaring back. Aleksandar Mitroviฤ bullied Evertonโs defence, the crowd sensed the momentum shifting, and Fulham eventually snatched the win.
By the final whistle, Everton looked like a side that had somehow misplaced both their confidence and their centre-backs.
Fulham 0-0 Everton, November 2020
Not every memorable game is memorable for the right reasons.
Played during the empty-stadium period, this was one of the strangest matches between the clubs. Everton had started the season brilliantly, Fulham were struggling near the bottom, and yet the game drifted into a rather joyless draw.
Without supporters inside Craven Cottage, the fixture lost much of its usual energy. There was still tension, because Fulham desperately needed points, but it felt more like a training exercise with Premier League wages attached.
Fulham 0-1 Everton, October 2022
This was one of Evertonโs better recent performances at Craven Cottage and one of the few occasions where they handled the occasion calmly.
Alex Iwobi scored the winner after a flowing move and Everton defended stubbornly in the second half. Fulham pushed hard late on, but Everton finally managed to leave west London without making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.
It was such a rare experience that some Everton supporters probably spent the train home wondering if they had imagined it.
Fulham 0-0 Everton, January 2024
A match of very few chances, plenty of fouls and enough misplaced passes to make everybody inside the ground long for half-time.
Yet it mattered because both clubs were involved in the increasingly strange world of Premier League survival, points deductions and endless off-field uncertainty.
The draw suited neither side particularly well, although Everton were probably happier with it. Fulham had more of the ball and more of the territory, but Everton dug in and escaped with a point.
Players Who Have Defined the Fixture
Several players have repeatedly shaped Fulham vs Everton matches at Craven Cottage.
For Fulham, Louis Saha, Clint Dempsey, Aleksandar Mitroviฤ and Bobby Zamora all enjoyed important moments against Everton. Mitroviฤ in particular seemed to relish the physical battle and often treated Evertonโs defenders as if they were mildly inconvenient traffic cones.
For Everton, Tim Cahill was usually the danger man. His movement and timing caused Fulham problems for years. Mikel Arteta also enjoyed several strong performances at Craven Cottage, while Leighton Baines regularly delivered dangerous crosses and set pieces.
More recently, Alex Iwobi has had an unusual connection with the fixture, playing for both clubs and scoring a decisive goal for Everton in west London.
Head-to-Head Trends
Several patterns have emerged across Fulham vs Everton meetings at Craven Cottage:
- Home advantage has mattered more than in many Premier League fixtures.
- The matches are usually low-scoring.
- Late goals are common.
- Everton often enjoy more possession without making full use of it.
- Fulham are usually at their best when they play directly and get the crowd involved.
Roughly two-thirds of the matches at Craven Cottage in the Premier League era have produced two goals or fewer. This is rarely a fixture for wild scorelines. It is more often a fixture for tension, narrow margins and one mistake changing everything.
How the Fixture Has Changed in the Modern Era
The contrast between the two clubs has narrowed in recent years.
For decades, Everton were the larger club with the bigger budget, greater expectations and stronger squad. Fulham were usually trying to stay up.
That gap no longer feels quite so large.
Fulhamโs return to the Premier League under Marco Silva has given them greater stability and a clearer style of play. Everton, by contrast, have spent several seasons lurching between crises, managerial changes and survival battles.
As a result, Craven Cottage now feels like a genuinely difficult away day for Everton rather than a fixture they simply expect to win.
What Makes Fulham vs Everton Worth Watching
There are more glamorous fixtures in the Premier League. Fulham versus Everton is unlikely to come wrapped in fireworks and breathless marketing slogans.
What it usually offers instead is something more honest.
Two historic clubs, a proper old stadium, a game that often matters more than outsiders realise, and a reasonable chance that somebody will score late enough to ruin half the groundโs afternoon.
At Craven Cottage, this fixture has built its own quiet history. It rarely grabs the headlines in advance, but it has a remarkable habit of being far more entertaining than expected.
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