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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors 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 added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings 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 Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. 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 midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated 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.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.