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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings 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 the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.