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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 his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.