Idrissa Gueye along with Michael Keane on target as the Toffees sink Fulham

The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly 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. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past Leno counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to 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 corner that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian 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 the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.