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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry thought his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent 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 chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.