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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.