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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past Leno did stand. 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 thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.