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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal 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 wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in 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 next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. 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 fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.