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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors 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 disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. 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 directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.