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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park 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 gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. 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. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye 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 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.