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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.