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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.