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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line 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 working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.