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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert 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 on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.