Idrissa Gueye and Keane find the net as the Toffees sink the Cottagers

David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, 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 deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.