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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.