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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park 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 clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer 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 the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.