Everton returned from November's international break with a vibrant first-half display to earn a third away win this season at Fulham.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted twice to leap to the top of the Premier League scoring charts and there was a first Everton goal for Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Here, evertonfc.com looks at what we learned from a victory which inched Everton up to sixth in the Premier League standings.

Carlo's Surprise

Carlo Ancelotti sprung a surprise with his three-man defence and the system worked how the manager would have envisaged when concocting his plan.

Indeed, Ancelotti confirmed his revised formation was designed in part to add numbers to Everton’s attack in the form of wing-backs Alex Iwobi and Lucas Digne.

This was only a second Premier League start of the season for Iwobi.

His opportunity came in an unfamiliar position and with additional defensive responsibility.

As Fulham pressed for an equaliser in the closing 20 minutes, Iwobi was essentially playing on the right of a back five.

In that role he was disciplined, maintaining Everton’s shape and helping limit Fulham to very few openings.

Earlier this year, Iwobi declared he was a “new man” after swapping Arsenal for Everton.

“Here, I have to focus tactically when we do not have the ball,” said Iwobi.

“I have to track back a bit more, carry out more defensive duties.

“No matter who I play for, I give 100 per cent.

“Everton are making me do that and I am enjoying it.”

For most of this game, however, right wing-back Iwobi – in common with Digne on the opposite flank – lived by the rule that attack is the best form of defence.

The 24-year-old flew forwards to deliver a series of excellent crosses.

His thrust resulted in Antonee Robinson, Fulham’s left-back, being neutered as an attacking threat.

Iwobi formed an understanding with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, feeding balls into the striker’s feet before running onto the returns.

The Nigeria international’s contribution to Everton’s second goal won’t be recorded in any statistical logs but it deserves recognition nonetheless.

Iwobi demonstrated fabulous balance and technique as he cruised infield, elegantly dodging challenges – so eliminating defensive bodies – before sliding a pass to James Rodriguez.

James fed Digne, who crossed first-time for Calvert-Lewin to finish.

One passage of play in first-half stoppage time when Iwobi made his way inside via a sequence of one-twos, before thudding a pass for Digne, spoke to a player brimming with confidence.

Late in the game, with Everton holding onto their slim advantage, Iwobi raced 50 yards with the ball at his feet to relieve pressure.

Iwobi supplied five crosses and completed five successful dribbles.

His passing success rate of 87.5 per cent was second to only Abdoulaye Doucoure in Everton’s team.

He made two interceptions and two clearances and won both his tackles.

For Digne this was a new assignment, too. Operating as a wing-back and receiving possession high up the field is a different beast from advancing onto the ball from a deeper full-back position.

The last time Everton started with a three-man backline – at Wolverhampton Wanderers late last season – Digne played as one of the centre-backs.

His versatility is a strength and he savoured the freedom granted by additional protection behind him, supplying a match-high seven crosses.

Digne's two assists – he also served up the cross for Doucoure’s first Everton goal – were the least he deserved in terms of tangible numbers and the former Barcelona player increased his tally of goals created this season to four.

He has provided 61 crosses this season – the second highest tally of any Premier League player – and is joint-third on the list for big chances created (five), behind only Harry Kane and Jack Grealish.

Abdoulaye’s Away

The rangy Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first Everton goal represented an archetypal box-to-box midfielder’s effort.

Doucoure observed events unfolding, beginning his charge as James Rodriguez completed his deft flick to Lucas Digne, and got the timing of his run spot on.

Digne’s delivery was a dream and Doucoure strode on to it to bullet in his finish.

If his goal epitomised what it is to be a midfielder proficient at both ends of the pitch, then so did Doucoure’s wider contribution.

With Fulham threatening to gain irresistible momentum following Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s 70th-minute goal, it was Doucoure – with engine-room partner Allan – who bolted the lock in front of Everton’s back four.

The Frenchman was suddenly popping up at the edge of his own box, filling spaces and nicking balls.

Doucoure finished the game with six interceptions – twice as many as any other player on the pitch – a figure which is testament to his energy and ability to read the play.

He is joint-sixth in that category in the division and third among midfielders.

Doucoure made three tackles at Craven Cottage and had 87 touches of the ball, the highest total of any Everton player.

Allan sunk to his haunches at full-time, utterly spent following an unyielding effort after returning late last week from Brazil’s latest pair of South American World Cup qualifying matches.

His three tackles put him four clear of the Premier League field on 35 for the season.

Allan became an auxiliary defender late in the contest, scuttling around his own penalty area to tidy up and clear danger.

A word, too, for Tom Davies.

It’s an unenviable task, coming off the bench to aid a defensive cause, but the 22-year-old’s cameo smacked of maturity.

He retained possession and drew fouls like an experienced pro, while injecting vitality to carry Everton higher up the field.

Competition for places in Everton’s midfield is intense.

When your chance comes you have to take it, then, and Davies did himself a lot of favours in close to 20 minutes on the pitch.

Complete Calvert-Lewin

Dominic Calvert-Lewin reached double figures for the Premier League season in only his ninth game.

For that feat – and sitting in glorious isolation at the top of the division’s scoring charts – Everton’s striker is attracting a lot of well-merited headlines.

Calvert-Lewin’s goals looked simple but they were the result of intelligent movement and an acute understanding of what is being asked from him as the focal point of Caro Ancelotti’s Everton team.

This, though, was a complete centre-forward’s display from Calvert-Lewin.

He was always available for a pass to feet when Lucas Digne or Alex Iwobi had possession in deep areas.

Receiving passes fired into him, Calvert-Lewin invariably chose the right option.

He would bounce the ball back to an advancing runner or nudge it forwards for one of his overlapping wing-backs.

If neither of those options was on, Calvert-Lewin resisted challenges to hold up play and relieve the pressure on his team.

Harry Kane, the man Calvert-Lewin is shadowing as England centre-forward, has been rightly lauded for his selfless link-up play with Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Kane’s trick is to come deep and leave space for partner Son Heung-min, before utilising his excellent distribution to release the South Korean.

Calvert-Lewin’s demonstration of the forward’s art at Craven Cottage certainly did not suffer by comparison with his international colleague.

He barely conceded possession and gave Tosin Adarabioyo and Joachim Andersen a torrid afternoon.

The Fulham centre-halves really did not know whether to stick or twist. Should they follow Calvert-Lewin or stand their ground and hope to deal with him close to goal?

There was a pleasing old-fashioned element about Calvert-Lewin’s display, too, slipping passes wide, then dashing for the box to meet the delivery.

Calvert-Lewin hit all three of his shots on target and won four aerial duels.

There was a lovely vignette towards the end when a ball was speared in the general direction of the 23-year-old.

It was Adarabioyo or Andersen’s for the taking, yet by a trick of improvisation and skill, Calvert-Lewin somehow brought the ball under his spell, resisting his two vexed opponents and eventually drawing a foul.

The Early Birds

Everton’s opening goal was the product of a lightening start.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin led the charge from kick-off, closing down defenders and bellowing for Richarlison to follow suit on Everton’s left flank.

Carlo Ancelotti’s rejgged formation, meanwhile, enabled wing-backs Lucas Digne and Alex Iwobi to force Fulham’s full-backs towards their own goal.

Everton’s rush to action, you suspect, was with a mind to asserting themselves on the contest, to sounding a statement of intent following a slip prior to this month’s international break.

Fulham appeared taken aback by their visitors’ pace and intensity.

Certainly, Bobby Decordova-Reid was hurried when he aimed a ball into no man’s land.

Richarlison pounced, sprinting into the box to steer a cross towards Calvert-Lewin.

Then a deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo, the centre-back unable to order his feet in time to deal with the low delivery.

Fortune favours the brave and the ball ran for Calvert-Lewin to turn home his ninth Premier League goal this season.

Timed at 42 seconds, it was Everton’s earliest Premier League goal since Tom Davies took 30 seconds to net against Leicester City in April 2017.

Fulham hit back not long after but Everton had the bit between their teeth.

Goals two and three followed on minutes 29 and 35 – the first time Everton have scored three in the opening half of a league game away from home since beating Burnley 5-1 on Boxing Day 2018.

Really, Everton’s first-half display should have reaped even more. Richarlison twice came close and Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola – who had a scare when fumbling an Iwobi cross over the bar – repelled a spiteful James drive in stoppage time.

Had any of those gone in, Everton’s work would have been all- but-done.

As it was, they’d done enough regardless. It is often said the best teams have the capacity to win a game early and conserve energy thereafter.

Ancelotti ultimately had to withdraw James and Richarlison as global treks for international fixtures took their toll.

But Everton won this game because they were the more alert and ambitious team from the start.

Right Response

Everton came to Craven Cottage seeking, to use the words of Carlo Ancelotti, the right reaction to a barren three-match spell before this month’s international break.

Ancelotti’s team sat seventh ahead of kick-off regardless, their handy position the product of that flying start when 13 points were claimed from five matches.

If it was too soon to start making black-and-white judgments on Everton in the Premier League’s opening months, then trying to read anything conclusive into this embryonic campaign is the definition of a fool’s errand.

What to make of a season when Aston Villa have scored 11 goals and conceded two in beating Liverpool, Arsenal and Leicester City – but let in nine and scored four in losing to Leeds United, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion?

The same Leicester undone by Villa clobbered Manchester City away 5-2 and won 4-1 at Leeds but were beaten 3-0 at home by West Ham United.

Manchester United inflicted the third of Everton’s three straight defeats prior to this fixture and were quite impressive at Goodison Park.

On Saturday, however, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team required a slice of fortune to squeeze past West Bromwich Albion, who shipped five in losing at Everton.

In short, then, logic is in short supply this term.

There was plenty in Everton’s opening five games to indicate Ancelotti’s side was moving in the right direction nevertheless.

When losing game number six at Southampton, Everton surrendered the Premier League’s final unbeaten record.

Injuries and suspensions for Richarlison and Lucas Digne didn’t help, as one loss became two, then three.

Ancelotti didn’t hide behind circumstances, however. Everton needed to be better defensively, insisted the manager.

A lot of this improvement had to occur between the ears, reckoned Ancelotti, who saw all but four of his 18-man squad for the United match disappear with their countries for most of the past fortnight.

Everton were facing a Fulham team whose confidence was climbing, too, following a win at home against West Brom last time here and a performance at West Ham which deserved more than a 1-0 defeat.

Ancelotti makes a point of not overly concerning himself with what his opponents are up to, though.

The objective here was to deliver a convincing response to the first difficult period experienced by the Italian’s reshaped Everton.

They had the carrot, too, of knowing victory would ease them above Aston Villa into sixth and within four points of Tottenham Hotspur at the Premier League summit.

By delivering a compelling answer to their boss’ questions, Everton returned to an upwards direction of travel.

Another sign of the advances being made under Ancelotti: before winning at Spurs on the season’s opening day, Everton had won twice on their previous 26 visits to London.

Following victory against Crystal Palace and this success by the Thames, that is three from three in the capital.

It remains too early for categorical statements – the season isn’t 25 per cent done and, for now, there is no such thing as an unexpected result – but Everton are in a good place nonetheless.