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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively 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 Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium 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 ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.