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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were contained all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.