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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation 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 supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.