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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted why their top marksman 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 superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last 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 linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.