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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings 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 Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area 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 Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.