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The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his big-money move from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for offside when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.