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David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, 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 clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.