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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. The Blues had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, 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 helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.