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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason 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 Everton’s greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton 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 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.