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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker 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 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy 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 missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye 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 wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.