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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were contained all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.