Idrissa Gueye and Keane find the net as Everton sink the Cottagers

The Everton manager had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net should not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he stated. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender rose to the occasion, delivering a fully deserved victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as the visitors highlighted why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. 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.

The home side dominated the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when arriving at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, 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 justified Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give the hosts the upper hand throughout.

Fulham 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 visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's next effort beating the keeper counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer finished from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the home player. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a corner that the defender directed over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop late on.