Idrissa Gueye along with Michael Keane find the net as the Toffees sink the Cottagers

David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker 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 missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out 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 persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.