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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, 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 Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved 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 delivery in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.