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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside 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 comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.