Gueye along with Keane find the net as Everton overcome Fulham

The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. 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 video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian 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 shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, 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 denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.