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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian 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 player at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned 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. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.