Michael Keane believes Everton have made themselves hard to beat and is looking forward to testing that theory against Fulham in the Premier League.
The Toffees started the season with a run of four consecutive losses, but have since turned things around, going unbeaten in their last four in the top-flight.
Their 2-0 victory over struggling Ipswich Town last weekend helped move them five points clear of the relegation zone in the early standings.
And Keane is delighted with the uptick in their form as they look to extend that run at Goodison Park on Saturday.
"We've become hard to play against," Keane told evertontv.
"Obviously, against Newcastle, it wasn't our best performance but we grinded it out by doing all the ugly things really well and [last week], I think we played a lot better than we did and we got a deserved win.
"To have four games unbeaten now, it gives you that momentum and that confidence going into the next games."
Meanwhile, Fulham have suffered back-to-back losses against Manchester City and Aston Villa in recent weeks, following a five-match unbeaten streak in the league.
Marco Silva is looking to get back to winning ways against his former club and has won his last two away games against Everton in the Premier League.
However, the Cottagers went down to 10 men against Villa, having given up their lead, and Silva was left bemused by the decision that will leave him without Joachim Andersen for the trip to Merseyside.
"[Villa was] not the best performance from us," Silva said.
"But we're all confused [about the red card], we all don't understand, even for you, for fans for staff, managers and players, we're all confused because when things happen, we try to understand why and respect."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton – Dwight McNeil
Dwight McNeil has been involved in six goals in his last six Premier League appearances (three goals, three assists) for Everton.
He is only the third Toffees player with three goals and three assists in the opening eight games of a season, after Francis Jeffers in 1999-00 and James Rodriguez in 2020-21.
Fulham – Raul Jimenez
Raul Jimenez has scored or assisted in each of his last five Premier League appearances for Fulham (four goals, one assist).
No Cottagers player has done so in six games in a row, while only three players have scored or assisted in six in a row aged 33 or older: Gus Poyet aged 34 in 2001, Dennis Bergkamp aged 35 in 2004, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic aged 35 in 2017.
MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON WIN
Since losing their first four Premier League matches this season, Everton are unbeaten in four games (W2 D2). Only once have the Toffees gone five unbeaten under Sean Dyche, doing so in April and May this year.
And their record in October is impressive - Everton have kept six clean sheets in their last seven such Premier League games (W4 D2 L1), including both games this season. Since 2022-23, the Toffees have averaged 0.75 points per game in August and September (P20 W3 D6 L11) compared to 1.55 points per game in October (W5 D2 L4).
Since Dyche's first Premier League games in charge of Everton, only Arsenal (33) have scored more goals via set pieces (excl. pens) than the Toffees (27).
However, Everton were unbeaten in their first 27 home league games against Fulham between 1949 and 2018 (W23 D4), winning each of the last 22 of those. Since then, they have lost their last three at home to the Cottagers.
In fact, Fulham are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games against the Toffees (W3 D2), keeping four clean sheets in the process. All three of those wins in that run have come at Goodison Park.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Everton – 40.9%
Draw – 26.7%
Fulham – 32.4%
Antonio undergoes surgery following crash
Michail Antonio has had surgery on a lower limb fracture, West Ham have confirmed.
West Ham confirmed on Saturday that Antonio was in hospital in a stable condition after he was involved in a road traffic accident.
On Sunday, West Ham offered a further update, announcing that Antonio had undergone surgery on a fractured lower limb.
The 34-year-old will remain in hospital for further assessment over the coming days.
"Everyone at the club wishes Michail a speedy recovery and wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the football family at large for the overwhelming support shown since [Saturday's] news," a West Ham statement read.
"As well as extending a heartfelt thank you to the emergency services and first responders who attended to Michail in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and the medical team who continue to aid him in his recovery."
Antonio has featured in all 14 of West Ham's Premier League matches this season.
West Ham are in action against Wolves on Monday.
Khadija Shaw brace powers Manchester City to commanding 4-0 win over Leicester City in WSL
Jamaican forward Khadija "Bunny" Shaw delivered a stellar performance on Sunday, scoring twice as Manchester City Women cruised to a 4-0 victory over Leicester City in the Women’s Super League (WSL). Jess Park and Mary Fowler also found the net in a dominant display that underscored City’s title ambitions.
The win was a much-needed bounce-back for Gareth Taylor’s side, who were coming off a disappointing loss to Chelsea. The victory keeps Manchester City second in the WSL standings and reinforces their strong start to the season.
City wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Shaw finding the back of the net just two minutes into the match. Kerstin Casparij whipped in a pinpoint cross, and the Jamaican striker rose above the Leicester defense to head home from close range.
Shaw doubled her tally in the 22nd minute, this time benefiting from Leila Ouahabi’s precision delivery from the left flank. The goal capped an electrifying first-half performance from Shaw, who showcased her aerial prowess and clinical finishing.
Jess Park made it 3-0 early in the second half with a stunning strike from distance, leaving Leicester’s goalkeeper with no chance. Mary Fowler completed the scoring with a superb half-volley after a defensive miscue from Leicester, sealing a comprehensive victory for City.
Despite the emphatic win, there was a minor concern for City late in the game as midfielder Jill Roord required treatment for an apparent injury. Roord left the pitch as a precaution, and City finished the match with 10 players.
The result marks another chapter in Khadija Shaw’s sensational season, with the Reggae Girlz star continuing to cement her reputation as one of the league’s top strikers. Manchester City will look to carry this momentum into their next fixture as they push for WSL glory.
Galaxy dedicate record-extending MLS Cup triumph to 'special' Puig
The LA Galaxy won a record-extending sixth MLS Cup title with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, with their triumph motivated by Riqui Puig's injury.
The Galaxy found themselves two goals in front after 13 minutes thanks to strikes from Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic before Sean Nealis reduced the deficit.
Greg Vanney's side were able to hang on to seal the victory after the break, with many of the Galaxy players paying tribute to the absent Puig.
The Spaniard missed Saturday's showpiece after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in their Western Conference final victory over the Seattle Sounders.
Puig had been instrumental for the Galaxy this season, registering 31 goal involvements (17 goals, 14 assists) across all competitions.
He also created more chances (70) than any of his Galaxy team-mates, who dedicated their victory to Puig.
"It’s really special," said Mark Delgado. “When Riqui went down in the last game, and that final whistle blew, we were all happy. But to see him go down, we all felt so sad for him.
"It was just more of a motivation and another reason to step out there and win. A brother of ours went down, and we got to win this thing. We’re so happy to win this for him.”
After opening the scoring in the ninth minute, Paintsil was swarmed by his team-mates after tucking his shot past the onrushing Carlos Coronel.
But among the madness, the Ghanaian looked to the bench to grab Puig’s jersey and raise it toward the Galaxy faithful, with Joveljic following suit after his strike.
“This guy is unbelievable. One of the best players in the league, Riqui," added Diego Fagundez. “And today showed, even though he wasn’t on the field, we’re a family in here.
"We’re with each other so much that we’re like brothers. And it doesn’t matter if someone goes down, we’re all together. And today, we did it for him, and we did it for ourselves.”
“The first message that he said before we were in the huddle was ‘don’t do it for me, do it for each other,’ and that’s the right kind of mentality we want to have.
"He, as a player, he deserves everything. I know this is what he wanted.”
Puig was in the stands to support his side during the match, and despite not being able to help on the pitch, the Spaniard expressed his gratitude to his team-mates.
“Honestly, I’m very happy," Puig told MLS El Resumen. “It’s been a very complicated week for me, but people are giving me a lot of support, sending me messages.
"I apologise for not being able to respond to almost anybody because it’s been really complicated for me to face this type of injury.
"I was very afraid of it, even more so for nine months, to wait for this match. And I think today the team played spectacularly.”
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