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David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.