🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall 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 the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.