Gueye along with Keane find the net as the Toffees defeat the Cottagers

David Moyes had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless side.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.