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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. 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. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.