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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were contained all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as 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 Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. 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 James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off 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 be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.