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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye 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 a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.