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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player 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 big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko 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 the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.