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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I expect more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were contained throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. The Blues had three efforts 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 reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one was more in need of scoring more than the young striker, 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 Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.