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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, securing a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator 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 rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.