🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.