🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, securing 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 top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park 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 the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, 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, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford 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.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.