🔗 Share this article Gueye along with Keane find the net as the Toffees defeat Fulham The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team. Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach. 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 spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross. Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval. Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand all game. The centre-back makes the points safe with his late header. Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it. The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked 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 close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable. Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official. Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.