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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, 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 was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. 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 Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.