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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, earning a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player 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 a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. 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 the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.