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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet 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 added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home 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 next effort past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.