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David Moyes had stressed before Fulham's visit that the onus 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. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, earning a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine outings was relatively comfortable as the visitors demonstrated why their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were kept quiet throughout by Everton’s greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye 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 one was more in need of scoring as much as Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a clear opportunity to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the first opportunity of the game over the Fulham keeper's goal frame when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side 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 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian brought down the same player later in the half but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was offside when going for the delivery, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in the final third, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied Fulham’s central defenders and helped give the hosts the edge all game.

Fulham grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when set up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a another strike disallowed for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski fired home the loose ball. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down Jack Grealish’s cross in the buildup. But Everton’s next effort beating the keeper did stand. The left-back delivered a perfect ball to the far post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. The defender met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside Hill Dickinson Stadium was evident.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after Dewsbury-Hall found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the ball that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a second goal. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed past Leno. He did so with the upper body, and the visitors' protests for handball were dismissed by the video official.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his legs to deny the substitute scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.