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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought 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 erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed 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 challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball 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 corner that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.