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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed 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 first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.