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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance 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 Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.