🔗 Share this article

David Moyes had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player 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 set up in the box by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected 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 legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.