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The Everton manager had made clear before the match against Fulham that the onus for finding the back of the net must not fall solely on the team's forwards. “I want more goals from my defenders and central players as well,” he insisted. Idrissa Gueye and the English defender responded perfectly, delivering a merited victory over the opposition's ineffective side.

The Merseyside club's second win in nine matches was relatively comfortable as Fulham highlighted the reason their leading scorer this season is goals gifted by opponents. Aside from a brief flurry in the latter period, the away side were subdued all match by the home team's greater urgency and technical ability. Moyes’ team had three goals ruled out for infringements, but a poacher’s finish from the midfielder in added time before the break and the defender's second-half header ensured there would be no reprieve for the former Everton manager.

No player was more in need of scoring as much as the young striker, the Everton forward who had gone 10 Premier League outings without testing the goalkeeper after his £27m summer arrival from the Spanish side and spurned a gilt-edged chance to put his team two goals ahead at Sunderland on Monday. The 23-year-old headed the earliest chance of the game over Bernd Leno’s goal frame when found by Iliman Ndiaye’s fine cross.

The home side controlled the early exchanges and the Fulham goalkeeper pushed over James Garner’s long-range set-piece, given after the Fulham player was yellow-carded for hauling down the Everton midfielder. The Serbian brought down 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, though, and withdrew the midfielder at the interval.

Barry believed his fortune had changed at last when sliding in at the far post to turn in a low cross by Gueye. But the elation of a maiden strike was wiped out by an linesman's decision. The attacker was offside when attacking Gueye’s cross, and missing, and the video assistant referee supported the original call. The forward's bad luck may have persisted in front of goal, but his all-round performance justified Moyes’ decision to keep the faith. His movement and effort kept busy Fulham’s central defenders and helped give Everton the upper hand throughout.

The Londoners grew into the game gradually with the Norwegian and the ex-Goodison player Alex Iwobi working well in the engine room, but the early danger from the away team was limited. The Mexican striker fired weakly at Jordon Pickford when teed up in the box by his teammate and put a set-piece from a dangerous position directly at the Everton wall. That summed up their attacking output.

The Blues, inspired by the midfielder and the forward, had a second goal chalked off for an infringement when Leno parried a effort from Keane and the captain volleyed in the loose ball. The skipper had just strayed offside when heading on the winger's cross in the build-up. But Everton’s third attempt past Leno counted. Vitalii Mykolenko delivered a lovely cross to the back post when found in space on the left flank by the youngster. Tarkowski met it with a thumping header against the bar and, though Iroegbunam fluffed his lines, his midfield partner Gueye finished from close range. The relief inside the ground was palpable.

Everton had a further effort disallowed after the restart after the playmaker scored from another inviting Mykolenko cross. The attacker had cushioned the ball into the striker, who was in an offside position when competing with the Fulham defender for the ball that fell to the Everton midfielder. Everton would have to be patient until the closing stages for the security of a second goal. The provider was the architect with a corner that the defender directed over Leno. 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 introductions of Josh King, Rodrigo Muniz and Adama Traoré. Pickford made a fine stop with his legs to deny Muniz finding the net with his first touch and denied Traoré with a crucial save in the dying moments.