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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.