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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper 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 earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, 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 comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.