🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, securing a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’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 Everton 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 spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck 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 erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, 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 Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker 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. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.