Idrissa Gueye along with Michael Keane find the net as Everton overcome Fulham

The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than 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 big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.