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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than 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 £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. 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 parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.