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David Moyes had stressed before the match against Fulham that the onus for scoring goals must not fall solely on the team's strikers. “I want more goals from my centre-halves and central players as well,” he insisted. The Senegalese midfielder and Michael Keane duly obliged, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's toothless team.

Everton’s second victory in nine matches was relatively comfortable as the visitors showed the reason their top marksman this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the second half, the visitors were contained throughout by the home team's superior intensity and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals disallowed for offside, but a close-range strike from Gueye in added time before the break and the defender's late conversion ensured there would be no reprieve for their ex-coach.

No one was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Goodison Park attacker 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 2-0 up at Sunderland earlier in the week. The 23-year-old directed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s crossbar when found by his teammate's fine cross.

Everton controlled the opening stages and the visiting shot-stopper pushed over the midfielder's 30-yard free-kick, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for fouling the Everton midfielder. Lukic tripped the same player again before halftime but the referee, Andrew Madley, correctly waved away Everton appeals for a sending off. Silva was not risking anything, however, and substituted the midfielder at the break.

The striker thought his fortune had finally turned when sliding in at the far post to convert a low cross by his teammate. But the joy of a maiden strike was wiped out by an assistant referee’s flag. Ndiaye was in an illegal position when going for the delivery, and failing to connect, and the video assistant referee backed up the on-field decision. The forward's bad luck may have continued in front of goal, but his overall display justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and work-rate occupied Fulham’s central defenders and contributed to the hosts the edge throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game slowly with Sander Berge and the ex-Goodison player the Nigerian working well in midfield, but the first half threat from the visitors was minimal. The Mexican striker fired weakly at the England keeper when set up inside the area by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. And that was it.

The Blues, inspired by Dewsbury-Hall and the forward, had a another strike chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a Keane header and the captain fired home the rebound. The home captain had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's delivery in the build-up. But Everton’s next effort past Leno counted. The left-back floated a lovely cross to the back post when left unmarked on the left by the youngster. The defender connected with a powerful nod off the crossbar and, though the midfielder mishit the rebound, his teammate Gueye finished from point-blank. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from a further excellent delivery from the left. Ndiaye had cushioned the delivery into Barry, who was offside when competing with the Fulham defender for the touch that reached the Everton midfielder. The team would have to wait until the 81st minute for the security of a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over Leno. He scored with the upper body, and Fulham’s appeals for a handball were rejected by the video official.

Fulham carried more of a threat following the substitutions of the forward, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. The Everton keeper made a fine stop with his legs to prevent the substitute scoring with his initial involvement and denied Traoré with a crucial save late on.