🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals 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 comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, 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 justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space 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 the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball 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 architect with a set-piece that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.