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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye 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 persisted 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 helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator 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.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.