Gueye along with Michael Keane on target as the Toffees overcome the Cottagers

David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward 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 contained all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one 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 big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.