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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Everton 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 the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

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

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. 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 validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton 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 the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.