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David Moyes had made clear before the match against Fulham that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on his side's forwards. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was largely untroubled as the visitors demonstrated the reason their leading scorer this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were contained throughout by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header made sure there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Goodison Park attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a clear opportunity to put his team 2-0 up at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the first opportunity of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was booked for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the identical opponent again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

Barry believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was offside when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have persisted in the final third, but his overall display justified the manager's choice to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the away team was limited. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position straight into the defensive barrier. And that was it.

Everton, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his teammate Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the creator with a set-piece that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with another important stop late on.