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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 should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I demand more goals from my defenders and midfielders as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. The Blues had three goals disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish 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 needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was not risking anything, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when arriving at the far post to turn in a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking the delivery, and missing, and the VAR supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up inside the area by Iwobi and put a set-piece from a promising location straight into the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for offside when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a third goal disallowed after the restart after the playmaker found the bottom corner from another inviting delivery from the left. The attacker had laid off the ball into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a set-piece that Keane glanced over Leno. He scored with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the substitutions of Josh King, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to prevent Muniz finding the net with his first touch and stopped Traoré with a crucial save late on.