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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move 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 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking 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 front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.