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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.