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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, 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 keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over Leno. He did so 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 Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.