Romelu Lukaku's goal inside the first two minutes proved to be enough for Everton to see off Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
The Belgian forward did not know a great deal about the close-range finish, which came about after Steven Naismith's cross into the box was parried directly into his path by Julian Speroni.
Palace looked lively for the remainder of the first half, but they were unable to create any real chances of note following the restart as the Toffees picked up a first win in nine outings.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed during the 90 minutes of action in London.
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CRYSTAL PALACE
Goal
Julian Speroni: A frustrating performance from Speroni, who is perhaps nervously looking over his shoulder with Wales international Wayne Hennessey among the substitutes once more. It was the Argentine's error in the opening couple of minutes which led to the only goal of the game, and the cynics will tell you that his late save from McGeady's shot was more for the cameras than anything else. (6/10)
Defence
Martin Kelly: Did not do enough in an attacking sense down and as a result was replaced by Zaha in the second half. That resulted in Palace shuffling things around a little, which did not help them wrestle back any sort of momentum in the final third of the match. (6/10)
Scott Dann: Bravely put his body on the line on a couple of occasions to help his side at the back, and, although he was on the losing side, he can be pretty happy with his overall showing this afternoon. (7/10)
Damien Delaney: Speroni may have been directly at fault for the Everton goal, but Delaney also played his part in things after being caught out. He soon recovered by producing a few decent tackles and looked solid enough on the whole. (6/10)
Joel Ward: Looked promising both in attack and defence across the 90 minutes yet, much like each of his teammates, he could not add that extra quality that was needed to make a difference. (7/10)
Midfield
Jason Puncheon: Palace's liveliest player in the first half as he tested Joel with a fine effort from long range, while coming close again as the break approached. Played behind the striker, but faded badly in the second half. (7/10)
James McArthur: Had a tough job of battling in midfield in the absence of skipper Mile Jedinak. Again, it is a case of a decent enough performance from the Scotland international, but not enough to help his side mount any attacks of note. (7/10)
Joe Ledley: The Eagles' best player on the day with a solid performance alongside McCarthur. He was tasked with breaking up opposition attacks and starting moves for his own side, which he did well across the duration of the game. Will he remain in that position once Jedinak returns from Asia Cup duty next weekend? (7/10)
Yaya Sanogo: It is difficult to remember anything of note that the Arsenal loanee produced other than a first-half volley which was blocked away by Stones in front of goal. Replaced 20 minutes from time by Murray. (5/10)
Dwight Gayle: Pardew opted to stick the striker into a wide midfield position, which did not work at all. The former Peterborough United man did come close to finding the net with an effort which was saved off the line, but it is in a more central position where he thrives. (6/10)
Attack
Marouane Chamakh: It may just be a mere coincidence, but Palace certainly lacked any real sort of fluidity once the forward left the field through injury in the first half. He was playing a key part when his side were pressing for an equaliser in the moments following the Toffees' goal. (6/10)
Substitutes
Jordon Mutch: On his day, the box-to-box midfielder can provide a masterclass with a range of driving runs and the odd goal, yet it was clear that the new boy was lacking in minutes as he struggled to get a grip on proceedings after being introduced inside the first quarter of the game. (5/10)
Wilfried Zaha: It was perhaps surprising that Pardew opted to wait until the 65th minute to introduce the lively winger, which meant a slight switch of system as Ledley reverted to left back to accommodate the departure of Kelly. This was not Zaha's best showing, however, which is the same story for this Palace side as a whole. (5/10)
Glenn Murray: Could not celebrate signing a new one-year extension at Selhurst Park this week with a goal, seeing the game pass him by for large parts after coming on. (5/10)
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EVERTON
Goal
Joel: Had next to nothing to do throughout the 90 minutes, although he showed good awareness to race out on a couple of occasions to cut out balls over the top from the home side. (7/10)
Defence
Seamus Coleman: Did not provide a great deal in the final third, which he so often does. This could perhaps be best explained by his heavy clash of heads with Chamakh early on. (6/10)
Phil Jagielka: Just about wins the man-of-the-match accolade for dealing with pretty much everything that came his way. Made the most clearances in the division this afternoon with 17 in all. (8/10)
John Stones: Looks so incredibly composed at the back for someone so young. This is best summed up by his cheeky back-heel when the pressure was on inside his own area. Not so much one for the future as far as Toffees supporters are concerned, but one for the present. (7/10)
Leighton Baines: Much like Coleman on the opposite side, this was not Baines's finest hour in an attacking sense. He overhit a cross in the first half as well as blasting a free kick over the bar, and only slightly recovered for the remainder. (6/10)
Midfield
Aiden McGeady: Offers the team far more balance when he starts, and, although it was not a vintage performance from the winger, he certainly helped his side get over the line in the end. Almost bagged a goal late on with a curling effort which was pushed aside by Speroni. (7/10)
Gareth Barry: On a winning side for the first time since November 6th against Lille, Barry showed signs today that his Goodison Park career is not over quite yet. Broke up play and helped build attacks from a deep-lying position. (7/10)
Muhamed Besic: Produced another solid performance in London to help his side on their way to just a fifth clean sheet this campaign. Likely to retain his place, even with others coming back into the fold. (7/10)
Kevin Mirallas: The Belgian can so often make things happen, but that was far from the case this afternoon and he was replaced 15 minutes from time with the game still very much in the balance. (5/10)
Steven Naismith: Fouled five times this afternoon which goes to show just how involved he is in dangerous areas. Kept on running and provided the cross which led to the game's defining moment. (7/10)
Attack
Romelu Lukaku: Everton supporters will be glad to see their star man back on the scoresheet following a run of eight games without a goal in the Premier League. He has now found the net 39 times in 89 top-flight appearances, making him still one of the most prolific strikers around. (7/10)
Substitutes
Bryan Oviedo: Helped bring some energy to the team when introduced in place on Mirallas, but that is about all he did provide. (6/10)
Arouna Kone: Brought on in added time with just one thing in mind - running down the clock. He will be hoping for more game time, yet it is hard to get into the team when there is a player of Lukaku's quality ahead of you. (5/10)
Daniel Lewis
