Gueye and Michael Keane on target as the Toffees overcome the Cottagers

The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet throughout by Everton’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 Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target 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 earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.