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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header 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 a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last 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 going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort past Leno did stand. The left-back 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 midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.