🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.