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David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike 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 the young striker, the Everton 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 spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross 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 attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.