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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped 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 later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.