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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival 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 first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. 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 the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.