🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were contained throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton forward 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 two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out 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 Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.