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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out 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 one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and substituted 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 first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. 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 the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.