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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring 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 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 earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest 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. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.