Gueye along with Keane find the net as Everton overcome the Cottagers

David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting 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 fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.