Idrissa Gueye along with Michael Keane find the net as Everton defeat the Cottagers

The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, 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 comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games 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 Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, 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 kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.