🔗 Share this article

The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck 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 failing to connect, 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 all-round performance justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.