Gueye and Michael Keane find the net as the Toffees defeat Fulham

David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win 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 kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.