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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder 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 as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game 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 teed up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.