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The Everton manager had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, earning a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued throughout by Everton’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 Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the official, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee supported 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 movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. 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 off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into Barry, who was offside when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender glanced over the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.