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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, earning a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained all match by the home team's superior intensity 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 the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, 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.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. 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 directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent 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 reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.