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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency 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 second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player 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 £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 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release 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 laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.