Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane find the net as the Toffees sink the Cottagers

The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort past the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.