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The Everton manager had stressed before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he stated. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender responded perfectly, earning a merited victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective team.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed the reason their top marksman this season is opposition own goals. Apart from a short spell in the latter period, the away side were contained all match by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal as much as the young striker, the Everton 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 two goals ahead at the Stadium of Light on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s excellent delivery.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper tipped over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. 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 sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the joy of a first Everton goal was erased by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated Moyes’ decision to stick with him. His runs and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to Everton the edge all game.

The Londoners came into the contest slowly with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was minimal. Raúl Jiménez shot tamely at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and sent a free-kick from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for offside when Leno saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by Tim Iroegbunam. The defender met it with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was evident.

The home side had a further effort ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall scored from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the home player. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane glanced past Leno. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat after the introductions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford saved well with his feet to prevent the substitute scoring with his first touch and stopped the speedster with a crucial save in the dying moments.