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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than 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 £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. 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 in the dying moments.