Gueye along with Michael Keane on target as the Toffees sink the Cottagers

The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, earning a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s greater urgency and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, 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 the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.