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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross 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 the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.