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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper 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 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in 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 in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.