Idrissa Gueye and Keane find the net as the Toffees sink Fulham

David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not rest only on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he declared. Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane rose to the occasion, securing a fully deserved victory over the opposition's ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine outings was largely untroubled as Fulham showed why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a short spell in the second half, the away side were contained all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no comeback for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring 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 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old headed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when found by his teammate's excellent delivery.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, awarded after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the identical opponent later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the joy of a first Everton goal was wiped out 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 on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to keep the faith. His runs and work-rate kept busy the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the first half threat from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by Iwobi and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a Keane header and the captain fired home the loose ball. The home captain had just strayed offside when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his midfield partner Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was palpable.

Everton had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. The attacker had laid off the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with Joachim Anderson for the ball that reached the home player. Everton would have to wait until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger following the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his legs to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and stopped Traoré with another important stop late on.