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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.