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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender duly obliged, earning a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. 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 ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.