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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving 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 offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.