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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were subdued all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured 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 testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position 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 security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.