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David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker 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 missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far 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 fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team 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 the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.