Idrissa Gueye and Keane find the net as Everton defeat Fulham

David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

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 Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss 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 his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.