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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback 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 a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. 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 Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice 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.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.