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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, 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 all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.