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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

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 Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane directed over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

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