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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder 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 one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.