The New Merseyside Beat - NYTimes.com Everton may never allow Landon Donovan to leave. The United States international, his country's career leading scorer, provided two pinpoint crosses - one from the right side with his left foot, one from the right side with his right foot - as the Toffees ousted Fulham, 2-1, Friday in a fourth round match of England's storied F.A. Cup. More noteworthy was the presence of perhaps the top three American soccer players - Donovan, goalkeeper Tim Howard and Fulham's previously on-fire striker Clint Dempsey - on the field at Everton's Goodison Park in Liverpool. The Cottagers have not won a game at Everton since February 1975, though Fulham had won the previous four F.A. Cup matches between the teams. Dempsey, who had three goals in last Saturday's match against Newcastle and previously scored a hat trick in a Cup game against Charlton on Jan. 7, had little impact on the game. He rarely saw the ball in the first half, and the Everton defense gave him little space to spring free. Howard, decked out in his camouflage jersey, was rarely tested other than guessing wrong and diving the wrong way on Dany Murphy's penalty kick in the 14th minute. Howard played in his 250th match for Everton, in all competitions. The club was Howard's second stop in the Premier League after his three seasons at Manchester United (2003-6). In the 27th minute, Donovan found some space on the right wing, hitting the cross with his left foot that was headed past Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale by the Argentine striker Denis Stracqualursi. Nearly 30 minutes into the second half, Donovan, who had exploited space on the flank most of the game, sent a long cross the cut across the penalty area and found the Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini. His looping header, perhaps given more power from his prodigious Afro hairstyle, gave Everton the lead. In Friday's other F.A. Cup match, Rafael van der Vaart's shot from 25 yards out gave Tottenham at 1-0 win at Watford. Also this weekend, in matches tinged with racial overtones, Manchester United play at Liverpool on Saturday, playing at Anfield for the first time since Liverpool striker Luis Suárez was suspended for racially abusing United defender Patrice Evra last October. In London, Chelsea plays at Queens Park Rangers. The Chelsea captain John Terry may encounter Q.P.R. defender Anton Ferdinand, who Terry is accused of having racially abusing during a Premier League, also in October. Who do you think had the better game - Donovan or Dempsey? Leave your comments below.