Calvin Bassey Remains on Bench as Everton Complete Comeback Against Fulham

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey was left on the bench for the third consecutive match since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, as Everton came from behind to defeat Fulham at Craven Cottage in a Premier League encounter.

Since returning from the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations in late January, Bassey has struggled for minutes. He was benched against Brighton, left out of the starting lineup versus Manchester United, and remained on the sidelines again this weekend, with Cuenca retaining his place in defence.

Fulham opened the scoring in the first half when Raúl Jiménez saw his close-range effort saved by Jordan Pickford, only for the rebound to deflect off Vitalii Mykolenko and into the net.

Everton responded after the break and completed a dramatic turnaround. Fulham’s misfortune deepened late in the match when goalkeeper Bernd Leno inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, handing the Toffees a decisive second goal and sealing the visitors’ comeback.