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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move 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 over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back 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 mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.