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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, securing a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by Everton’s superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. 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 movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But the team's third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, the Brazilian and the winger. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.