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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed 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 their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.