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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match 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 first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured 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 attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. 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 the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.