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David Moyes had made clear before Fulham's visit that the responsibility for scoring goals should not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and midfielders as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, securing a fully deserved victory over Marco Silva’s toothless team.

The Merseyside club's second victory 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 away side were kept quiet throughout by the home team's superior intensity and quality. Moyes’ team had three efforts disallowed for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from Gueye in first-half stoppage time and the defender's late conversion made sure there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring more than Thierno Barry, the Everton attacker who had failed to register a shot on target in 10 league games without testing the goalkeeper after his big-money move from Villarreal and missed a gilt-edged chance to put his team 2-0 up at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper tipped over James Garner’s 30-yard free-kick, given after Sasa Lukic was yellow-carded for hauling down Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The Serbian tripped the same player later in the half but the official, the man in charge, correctly waved away home protests for a second yellow. Silva was not risking anything, though, and substituted the player at the break.

The striker believed his luck had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to turn in a drilled pass by his teammate. But the elation of a first Everton goal was wiped out by an linesman's decision. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. Barry’s misfortune may have continued in front of goal, but his all-round performance validated the manager's choice to stick with him. His movement and effort occupied the opposition's back line and helped give Everton the edge all game.

Fulham came into the contest gradually with Sander Berge and the former Everton midfielder the Nigerian combining effectively in the engine room, but the early danger from the visitors was minimal. Raúl Jiménez fired weakly at the England keeper when teed up in the box by Iwobi and sent a free-kick from a promising location straight into the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

Everton, driven on by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno saved a Keane header and James Tarkowski volleyed in the rebound. The skipper had moved beyond the last defender when nodding down the winger's delivery in the build-up. But the team's next effort past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko floated a perfect ball to the far post when left unmarked on the left by Tim Iroegbunam. Tarkowski connected with a powerful nod against the bar and, though the midfielder fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye converted from close range. The sense of release inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort ruled out after the restart after Dewsbury-Hall scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. Ndiaye had laid off the delivery into Barry, who was in an offside position when challenging Joachim Anderson for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to wait until the 81st minute for the comfort of a two-goal lead. The provider was the creator with a set-piece that the defender directed past the goalkeeper. He did so with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by VAR.

Silva’s side posed more danger after the substitutions of the forward, the Brazilian and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper saved well with his feet to deny the substitute finding the net with his initial involvement and stopped Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.