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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a well-earned 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 goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than 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 big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane directed past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.