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David Moyes 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 defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were contained throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. 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 effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.