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

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced over Leno. He did so 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 Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.