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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were subdued all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall 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 competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.