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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. 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 contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.