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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.