Calvin Bassey was again left unused as Fulham lost 2–1 to Everton at Craven Cottage, with the home side conceding twice in the final quarter of the match after leading for much of the contest, Footynaija.com reports.
The Premier League fixture began with Fulham establishing control and taking the lead in the first half. The breakthrough came when Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko turned the ball into his own net under pressure, handing Marco Silva’s side a one-goal advantage that remained intact through the interval and into the latter stages.
Everton responded in the 75th minute. thanks to Kiernan Dewsbury Hall who found space in the box and scored to bring the visitors level. The decisive moment followed in the 83rd minute, when a corner into the Fulham area resulted in goalkeeper Bernd Leno deflecting the ball into his own goal.
The sequence completed the turnaround and left the home side without time to recover.
Bassey was among the substitute players but was not introduced as Fulham attempted to protect their lead or respond after falling behind. The 25-year-old centre back remained on the bench throughout, extending a run that has seen him fail to start a league match since returning from international duty earlier in January.
The defender had just completed a full Africa Cup of Nations campaign with Nigeria in Morocco, where he played in almost every match as the Super Eagles finished third.
His performances at centre back were recognised by CAF’s technical panel, who selected him in the tournament’s Team of the Tournament following the conclusion of the competition.
Before he left for AFCON, the former Ajax player had featured regularly for Fulham during the first half of the season, starting league games and forming part of the club’s preferred defensive pairing.
Since rejoining the squad, his involvement has been limited to bench appearances, including recent fixtures against Brighton, Manchester United and Everton, with no start across that spell.
The defeat to Everton means Fulham missed the chance to strengthen their position in the top half of the table and instead slipped behind the Merseyside club, who moved above them following the win.
