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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.