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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.