Everton 1 Middlesbrough - 0: Everton had been forced to contemplate the unthinkable through their early-season traumas but, with a wave of relief sweeping around this arena at the final whistle, normal service has at last been resumed.
An identical result in this fixture 14 months ago hoisted the locals to the dizzy heights of third to maintain their best start in 26 years. Last night, the perk of a first home league win in six months was a place outside the bottom three.
Times, perhaps even immediate ambitions, have changed in the interim but life is looking up again for David Moyes. There were nerves to endure here, Franck Queudrue thumping a header on to the home crossbar from Gaizka Mendieta's corner with 52 seconds remaining, before this pocket of Merseyside could once more celebrate confirmation of the refreshingly familiar scoreline.
Everton won nine games by this margin last season and their manager will have been glad to recognise much of last year's resilience in this performance, though he will be just as heartened by evidence of the quality he hoped he had added to his squad in spending £22 million since January.
From flashes of class from Andy van der Meyde on either flank, via Tim Cahill's busy industry in the centre, to the bite offered by James Beattie up front, there was much to offer encouragement here.
Just 10 days ago, Everton languished at the bottom of the league table.
Now, from the relative security of 16th place, they can peer down at West Bromwich Albion in the last relegation place before they visit the Hawthorns when next they play.
"The signs were that people were doing not only their own jobs, but everyone else's too," said Moyes.
Beattie was one. There were a couple of times when he looked knackered, but he still found the resources to track back and close down one of their players late on.
Beattie allied that work-rate with tangible reward here. Just after the quarter-hour, he ambled between Ugo Ehiogu and George Boateng and his flicked header from a wonderfully paced Van der Meyde cross seared beyond Mark Schwarzer. The Dutchman's superb delivery on his home league debut was an indication of what he will offer Everton when fully fit.
"It'll take a while to get him to the required levels of fitness for the Premiership, and he was blowing with 20 minutes to go," added Moyes, "but he was instrumental at Birmingham last week and was again today."
Once Van der Meyde had joined Simon Davies in retiring - the Welshman will be unavailable for his country against Cyprus after suffering a hamstring injury - Everton found the tempo to rip Boro apart only once.
Substitutes Marcus Bent and James McFadden combined to set up Beattie, but the former England striker could only side-foot the opportunity on to the bar.
As it was, the miss did not prove costly.
Steve McClaren suggested it was "just one of those games" though, privately, he must have been fuming at his side's wretched inconsistency.
After the glorious frenzy of their 4-1 trouncing of Manchester United a week before and their rampaging Uefa Cup victory over the Ukrainians, Dnipro, in midweek, this was a result to prick the optimism.
They may have offered the neater, more polished football throughout but they were infuriatingly polite in front of goal. Queudrue's late chance showed how vulnerable Everton might have been had the visitors offered any more bite.
Instead, Boro departed without back-to-back Premiership wins to their name in a year.
Guardian Service
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