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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Everton forward 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 missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported 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 stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball 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 corner that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.