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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward 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 two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted 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 drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.