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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not rest only on the team's forwards. “I demand more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a well-earned victory over the opposition's toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Apart from a brief flurry in the second half, the away side were kept quiet all match by the home team's greater urgency and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for offside, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s late conversion ensured there would be no comeback for their ex-coach.

No one needed a goal more than the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker who had gone 10 Premier League outings without a shot on target after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and missed a gilt-edged chance 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 wide of Bernd Leno’s crossbar when picked out by his teammate's fine cross.

The home side dominated the opening stages and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, awarded after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic tripped the same player later in the half but the referee, the man in charge, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a second yellow. The Fulham boss was taking no further chances, however, and withdrew the player at the break.

Barry believed his luck had changed at last when sliding in at the back post to convert a drilled pass 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 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 occupied the opposition's back line and contributed to the hosts the upper hand all game.

Fulham came into the contest slowly with the Norwegian and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by his teammate and sent a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the defensive barrier. And that was it.

The Blues, driven on by Dewsbury-Hall and Ndiaye, had a second goal disallowed for an infringement when the Fulham goalkeeper saved a effort from Keane and James Tarkowski fired home the rebound. The home captain had moved beyond the last defender when heading on Jack Grealish’s delivery in the buildup. But Everton’s third attempt past the keeper 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 mishit the rebound, his midfield partner the scorer converted from point-blank. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

The home side had a third goal ruled out early in the second half after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. The attacker had cushioned the delivery into the striker, who was offside when challenging the Fulham defender for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. The team would have to be patient until the closing stages for the comfort of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that Keane directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the back of his shoulder, and the visitors' protests for handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham posed more danger following the substitutions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his feet to prevent Muniz finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with another important stop in the dying moments.