🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

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 hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last 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 linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.