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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for finding the back of the net must not rest only on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane responded perfectly, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham highlighted the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were subdued all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The youngster headed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

Everton dominated the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker believed his fortune had changed at last when arriving at the far post to convert a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee backed up the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when set up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by the midfielder and Ndiaye, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger after the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to prevent Muniz scoring with his initial involvement and stopped the speedster with a crucial save late on.