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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. 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 persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. 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 back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.