Gueye along with Keane on target as Everton overcome Fulham

David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar 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.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider 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 dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.