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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were subdued all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that Keane glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.