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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry 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 infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed 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 another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.