🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal 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 first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded 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, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.