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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors showed the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, 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 the Spanish side and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating Leno did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a powerful nod against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye 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. The team 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 glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.