Idrissa Gueye along with Keane find the net as Everton sink the Cottagers

David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman 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 greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put 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 offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.