🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than 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 the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, 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 stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.