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The Everton manager had emphasized before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva was taking no further chances, though, and substituted the player at the interval.

The striker believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when attacking the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort past the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.