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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match 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 the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort past Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.