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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player 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 gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back 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 mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.