🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had stressed 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 centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross 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 midfield partner Gueye converted 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 ball into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender directed past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.