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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 his side's forwards. “I expect more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he declared. The Senegalese midfielder and the English defender duly obliged, delivering a well-earned victory over Marco Silva’s ineffective side.

Everton’s second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham showed why their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained all match by Everton’s superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for offside, but a close-range strike from the midfielder in first-half stoppage time and Keane’s second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No player needed a goal more than Thierno Barry, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from Villarreal and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The youngster directed the earliest chance of the game wide of the Fulham keeper's crossbar when picked out by his teammate's excellent delivery.

The home side controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's long-range set-piece, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for fouling Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Lukic brought down the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, rightly ignored home protests for a second yellow. Silva 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 back post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was erased by an linesman's decision. The attacker was in an illegal position when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the VAR backed up the on-field decision. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in the final third, but his overall display validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and work-rate kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand all game.

Fulham grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian combining effectively in midfield, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up inside the area by his teammate and put a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. And that was it.

Everton, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had just strayed beyond the last defender when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort beating Leno did stand. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left flank by the youngster. The defender connected with a thumping header off the crossbar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was evident.

Everton had a third goal disallowed early in the second half after the playmaker found the bottom corner from a further excellent Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with Joachim Anderson for the touch that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the 81st minute for the comfort of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender glanced past the goalkeeper. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for handball were dismissed by VAR.

Silva’s side carried more of a threat after the introductions of Josh King, the Brazilian and the winger. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny Muniz scoring with his first touch and denied the speedster with a crucial save late on.