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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned 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. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header 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 next effort past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.