🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.