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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve 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 big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.