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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 should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender rose to the occasion, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second victory in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the player at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past the keeper counted. The left-back floated a perfect ball to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that the defender directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent the substitute finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.