🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, 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 comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left 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 the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.