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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity 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 visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.