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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity 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 the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling 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 sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, 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 upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.