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David Moyes had made clear 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 insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham demonstrated the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were subdued throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one 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 spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker believed his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a drilled pass by Gueye. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But the team's third attempt past the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that Keane directed over the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.