Everton boss David Moyes praises striker Thierno Barry after beating Fulham | OneFootball

Everton striker Thierno Barry may not have scored in the 2-0 win over Fulham but manager David Moyes praised the 23-year-old’s contribution.

Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane got the goals in a victory which would have been more comfortable had the hosts not had three goals ruled out for offside.

Barry missed a sitter at Sunderland on Monday but was starting back-to-back league matches for the first time since joining Everton.

He put in one of his best performances of his short Toffees career after arriving in a £27million deal from Villarreal and was loudly applauded off when he was replaced by Beto.

“I think it is great credit because all the Evertonians know both players are looking for confidence and support,” said Moyes.

“I thought the crowd were brilliant for Barry today but I think he gave them something to shout about and believe in and was rightly applauded coming off.

“We need those boys to keep their confidence up and when you are not scoring as a centre-forward it’s not an easy thing to do.

“Sometimes people don’t take us seriously when we say it takes time to get adjusted. Thierno has to get used to the physicality of being a centre-forward in the Premier League, what you are going to have to come up against.

“If he was scoring you wouldn’t think about it but when he isn’t scoring he has to be very good and I thought in other parts he worked his nuts off, ran hard, was committed and did a very good job for the team today.”

Moyes also had warm words for Keane, who would not be in the team were it not for an injury to Jarrad Branthwaite.

“He has been brilliant, a great professional. You are not coming away from a game questioning Michael Keane,” added the Scot. “He has done amazing and hopefully he continues that form.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva, whose team have lost their last five away league matches, accepts they deserved to lose.

“Disappointing result for us, more than the result a disappointing performance,” he said.

“We got what we deserved from the game, definitely. We played 20 minutes all the game.

“There were small spells in the first half. We lost the game in the physicality, we didn’t handle the physicality of the Everton side – you can see throughout the game all the chances – even the disallowed goals – came from a second action from set-pieces, crosses.

“You can lose a match because the opponent is better than you but not lose it because of the physicality.”

Silva fears Rodrigo Muniz, who was replaced shortly after coming on as a second-half substitute, has suffered a setback.

“He felt something in the area of the hamstring and it doesn’t look good for us,” he added.