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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike 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 one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side 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 the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team 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 the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.