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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move 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 first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with 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 second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.