Gueye and Michael Keane on target as the Toffees defeat Fulham

David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton 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 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.