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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender'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 Everton 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 missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. 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 front of goal, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton 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 offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane directed 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 carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.