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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed 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 kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the player at the interval.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from close range. The relief inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced over Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to deny Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.