🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring 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 gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. 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 runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals 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. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.