Tim Cahill returned from six months out injured to head in the winning goal in Everton's 3-2 victory at Stoke in the Premier League early this morning.
The 28-year-old Australia midfielder, who broke his foot in March, surged to meet Mikel Arteta's corner in the 77th minute after Everton had allowed the Premier League newcomer to claw back a two-goal deficit.
"It was an important win for us, a hard-fought one, and in the end we got there," Everton manager David Moyes said.
After a torrid first half, Aiyegbeni Yakubu put Everton ahead in the 41st against the run of play and Victor Anichebe doubled the advantage six minutes after the break.
But Rory Delap inspired Stoke's deserved comeback with two trademark long-distance throw-ins that enabled Seyi Olofinjana to volley over the line in the 55th and then skimmed off Phil Jagielka's head in the 63rd for an own-goal.
Everton's midfield had Segundo Castillo and Marouane Fellaini making their debuts and Cahill returning, but it failed to create anything for the forwards to test goalkeeper Thomas Soerensen until the final minutes of the first half.
Yakubu had volleyed wide in the 32nd before he scored his third goal of the season nine minutes later in a move inspired by Fellaini.
The Belgium international, who recently joined for a club-record 15 million pounds (US$27 million; €18.5 million), linked with Arteta and Cahill in a neat interchange that outwitted Stoke before Yakubu's finish.
What the insipid first half lacked in drama, the second more than made up for it.
Everton maintained the momentum from Yakubu's opener when Anichebe, with his back to goal, flicked Arteta's free kick into the net.
After being the most creative in the first half, Stoke was finally rewarded when goalkeeper Tim Howard could only punch Delap's throw-in from the left directly to Seyi Olofinjana, who volleyed the ball into the goal.
Ricardo Fuller thought he had brought Stoke level in the 60th, but was judged to have fouled Joseph Yobo before rounding Howard and tapping the ball into the net.
The equalizer came when Delap threw the ball in from the right flank and it skimmed off Everton defender Phil Jagielka's head over Howard.
"It's like a human sling with that trajectory," Moyes said of Delap's throw-in ability.
Everton should have been awarded a penalty in the 73rd when Leon Court handled under pressure from Yakubu, but instead a free kick was awarded on the edge of the area.
"The referee pointed to the spot and where I was standing (Cort) was two yards inside (the area)," said Moyes, whose protests prompted his dismissal from the bench - albeit just four rows back in the stand.
"I said to the referee if I got it wrong I'd be the first one to apologize for to him and the fourth official. To be fair to them, they said they've not seen it yet, but they said if they got it wrong they would apologize."
Moyes' gripes were alleviated when Cahill put the Toffees ahead within four minutes of the penalty claim.
Cahill evaded his marker to score and lift Everton out of the relegation zone after four matches and into 10th place in the standings - despite Stoke's desperate attempts to equalize in the final 10 minutes.
"We started well in the first 20 or 25 minutes, we were fine, but we faded away and gave them the impetus," said Stoke manager Tony Pullis, whose team has won just one of its four matches after a 23-year absence from the topflight.
Moyes was pleased with how Fellaini and Castillo, the Ecuador midfielder who joined on a season-long loan from Red Star Belgrade, slotted in after being signed during the international break.
"It was a new midfield and it felt like a new team," Moyes said. "The hardest thing was to get the new boys integrated. I don't know if they will wonder what they've come to England for - they'll be thinking is it all like this?
"It's difficult because the two boys don't speak English at the moment and trying to explain the game plan you need against Stoke was not that easy, especially when you've only had them for a day and a half, really."
