🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park 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 Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging 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 two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.