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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward 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 greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, 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 missed a gilt-edged chance 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 over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.