Everton edged out Tottenham to seal David Moyes’ first win back as manager.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin ended his lengthy goal streak by opening the scoring on 14 minutes with a low finish after twisting past Archie Gray in the build-up.
The hosts doubled their tally on the half-hour mark courtesy of a superb solo effort from Iliman Ndiaye, who drove forward from the middle of the park.
A third arrived in added time when Gray turned the ball into his own net from a Calvert-Lewin flick-on after James Tarkowski headed it back across goal.
Spurs reduced their deficit after the interval through Dejan Kulusevski’s long-range effort before Richarlison notched another consolation in added time.
Moyes’ maiden victory since returning to the hot seat saw the Blues open up a four-point cushion from the Premier League’s relegation zone in 16th place.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
A tale of two halves for Blues
It was ‘Retro Day’ at Goodison, and Everton perfectly embodied that theme.
David Moyes dusted off a personal vintage with his side’s first-half display a genuine throwback to the exhibition-like creativity from his early 2010s spell.
The roar which greeted the Grand Old Lady’s half-time whistle, with its hosts three goals up, was unprecedented and bordered on a full-time reaction.
Such outpouring was understandable, given it was the first time the Blues had amassed such a comfortable home lead at the interval since February 2017.
But the second half proved more reminiscent of the decade previous, when Moyes’ teams prioritised digging in and holding on over attacking panache.
Still, the hosts rarely looked troubled until Tottenham’s belated fightback as the Scot achieved the first win of his second spell with remarkable ease.
Moyes had barely 48 hours to work with his new charges before Aston Villa’s win in midweek, which bore striking similarities to his maligned predecessor.
A considerable improvement, even against subpar opposition, suggests that Everton’s returning manager has his team already on the right track again.
Confidence key for DCL now
Dominic Calvert-Lewin stood out for all the wrong reasons in Wednesday’s reversal after spurning a gilt-edged chance in the throes of added time.
Everton’s no.9 has struggled for form and finesse for some time now but judging by his showing against Spurs, that promises to be a thing of the past.
This was Calvert-Lewin back at his best, and not just because he finally ended a 16-game without finding the target in the opening quarter of an hour.
His strike, the club’s first from open play at home since October, deserves plaudits in its own right after turning Archie Gray before a classy finish.
Beyond that sterling effort, however, Calvert-Lewin could have racked up the goals and should have done better from Jarrad Branthwaite’s cross-field ball.
The defender’s sublime pass allowed him to elude the visitors’ offside trap but a heavy touch off his knee provided Antonin Kinsky with an easy reprieve.
Beneath the gaze of new England manager Thomas Tuchel, Calvert-Lewin continued to prove a thorn in the Lilywhites’ side with further sights of goal.
Again brimming with confidence, he needs to maintain this current outlook to ensure the goals can continue to flow in the battle to beat the drop.
Moyes unlocks peripheral potential
Calvert-Lewin is not the only player benefiting from a fresh way of working.
In a short space of time, Moyes’ homecoming has unlocked the potential in several of his teammates who previously found themselves pigeonholed.
Take Jake O’Brien, whose summer move from Lyon risked becoming a costly mistake after he was regularly overlooked during the first half of the season.
The Republic of Ireland international was finally able to show his truest capabilities in a first Premier League start as part of a three-man defence.
So, too, was Jesper Lindstrom as a right wing-back in Moyes’ tweaked system with undoubtedly his finest performance wearing the royal blue shirt to date.
Had Iliman Ndiaye not stolen top billing with a sublime solo effort, the Danish winger would have almost certainly laid claim to the Man of the Match award.
A standing ovation when he was withdrawn on 69 minutes in favour of Ashley Young was testament to the fresh outlook that Moyes’ arrival has induced.
Even at this early stage, Everton’s peripheral figures are getting their flowers.