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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 forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal 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 first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort past Leno counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.