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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating Leno counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball 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 comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.