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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure 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 a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham grew into the game 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 minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane directed past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.