Everton under-21s were this evening held to a 1-1 draw against Fulham in the Premier League 2.
Heading into this contest, Everton were led by academy coach Keith Southern after Paul Tait's temporary promotion to first-team duties following the sacking of Frank Lampard.
It was the Blues who took the lead inside the opening five minutes, Katia Kouyate finding the bottom right corner of the opposition goal after a long ball played over the top of the Fulham defence by Kyle John was allowed to bounce before being struck. This represented a first league goal of the season for Kouyate, who agreed a new two-year deal with the Toffees back in September.
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The visitors responded 15 minutes, however, after the Cottagers' midfielder Adrion Pajaziti was on hand to sweep home inside the area. Mackenzie Hunt had initially done well to block an effort from Martial Godo, though the ball fell kindly into Pajaziti's path and allowed him to fire past the hapless Zan Luk Leban.
Neither side were able to find a winning goal during the second half, ensuring a share of the spoils were earned in Southport. Everton remain seventh in the division standings, with Fulham one place above in sixth. The Blues' next fixture sees them travel away to Bristol City next Sunday for a Premier League Cup Round of 16 tie.
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