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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the earliest chance of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when arriving at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts 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. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with another important stop late on.