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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were subdued all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, 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 was more in need of scoring as much as 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 £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly 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 fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.