Everton defeated Huddersfield Town 2-0 at Goodison Park to claim back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time this season.
Goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the second half ensured that new Toffees boss Sam Allardyce got off to a winning start on Merseyside.
The hosts remain unbeaten against Huddersfield here since 1937 – winning 12 and drawing two in that time – and they are now on their way up the table as this result takes them into the top half.
Allardyce stuck with a winning formula by making no changes to his starting lineup on the back of the win over West Ham United in midweek, but it took a while for both sides to really get going.
Nearly a quarter of the match had passed before the first real attempt arrived, which saw Wayne Rooney thump the ball into Christopher Schindler as he looked to build on his hat-trick from that midweek win here.
Town keeper Jonas Lossl would be required soon after, though, as Cuco Martina exchanged passes with Calvert-Lewin and got a shot away at the end of the attacking move.
Tom Ince then looked to find Laurent Depoitre in the final act of a scrappy first half, only for Jordan Pickford to race out and smother the ball before the shot arrived.
A much-improved Everton were ahead within a couple of minutes of the restart, however, thanks to Sigurdsson’s composed finish past Lossl after a flicked pass from Calvert-Lewin.
Calvert-Lewin then came close to scoring a quick-fire second, with Lossl this time getting down to his left to keep the ball out, while Ince picked out the side-netting at the other end.
The young forward did not have to wait too much longer to get his name on the scoresheet, though, steadying himself after being picked out by Rooney and sending a shot off Mathias Jorgensen and into the net.
Tommy Smith’s wayward shot was the closest Huddersfield came to a response, as they slipped to a fourth Premier League defeat in succession.
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