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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, 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 Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. 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 Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.