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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure 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 attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking 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 Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, 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 Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper 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.