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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.