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The Everton manager had emphasized before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained throughout 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 added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker 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 missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece 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 after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.