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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the far 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 front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.