Gueye and Michael Keane find the net as Everton overcome the Cottagers

David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on his side's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three efforts ruled out for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down the same player again before halftime but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the interval.

Barry thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a maiden strike was erased by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But the team's next effort beating the keeper counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the far post when found in space on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye converted from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a further effort disallowed early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the creator with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side 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 deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with another important stop in the dying moments.