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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were contained all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position 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 persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and sent 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 Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.