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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.