Gueye along with Keane on target as the Toffees defeat the Cottagers

The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net should not fall solely on his side's strikers. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one 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 the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, awarded after the Fulham player was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the player at the break.

The striker thought his luck had finally turned when arriving at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past the keeper did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane directed past Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.