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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike 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 needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye 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 front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.