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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued 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 all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.