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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, securing a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was fairly straightforward as Fulham demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper 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 directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, 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 justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball 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 Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief 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 Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender glanced past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.