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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was fairly straightforward as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. 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. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed 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 Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye 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 the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked 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 teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after 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 another important stop late on.