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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were contained all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, 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 needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side 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 fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his luck 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 wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.