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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals 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 responded perfectly, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player 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 big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners 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 minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.