Carlo Ancelotti hailed Everton’s resilience after ending their win-less streak at Fulham.
Sunday’s 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage saw the Blues finally secure maximum points for the first time in their previous five Premier League fixtures.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first goal for the club ultimately helped tip the balance against the relegation-threatened Cottagers in the five-goal thriller.
However the visitors were made to work for the win with Ivan Cavaleiro missing a second-half penalty before Ruben Loftus-Cheek halved their lead.
But Ancelotti was still pleased with the manner of Everton’s hard-fought performance, with their last win coming before October’s international break.
He said: “I’m really pleased. It was a difficult game. In the end, we reached our goal with the victory.
“It was a fantastic first half; in the second half we had difficulties.
“The difficult period is gone now.”
Ancelotti opted for a different system than usual at Fulham, fielding a back three of Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane in central defence.
This system freed up both wing-backs in Lucas Digne and Alex Iwobi, and the Everton boss was impressed with how his side dealt with this change in approach.
“We tried to be a bit more compact in the middle of defence but we have to work on this,” he added.
“This system gives us the possibility to use more of the pitch. If you put crosses in at the moment with Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, we are dangerous.”
Iwobi was particularly impressive in an unfamiliar role for him at right wing-back, but Ancelotti was keen to single his performance out for praise post-match.
“I’m happy with his performance,” said the Everton manager.
“He has the qualities to play there because he’s physically strong, can go up and down, and can go one-v-one.”