🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.