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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park 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 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed past Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.