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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort 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 a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.