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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton forward 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 headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back 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 in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.