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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

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 big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance 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 wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.