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David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward 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 spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home 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 beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.