🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker 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 two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached 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 the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.