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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. The left-back 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 the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.