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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

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 a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.