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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.