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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.