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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

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 the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck 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 contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.