Gerard Deulofeu marked his first Premier League start for Everton with a goal, putting his side 1-0 up against Stoke City at the interval.
The Toffees started the match on the front foot, testing Potters goalkeeper Asmir Begovic with a curling free kick from Deulofeu in the second minute.
Deulofeu was a live wire in the first half, forcing Begovic into another save in the 15th minute, his effort going through a crowd of players before being smothered by the Bosnian.
Neat link-up play between James McCarthy and Romelu Lukaku carved out a further chance for the Blues moments later, but the former could only drag his shot wide.
Everton continued to up the tempo, with Leon Osman unleashing a vicious drive just before the half-hour mark, producing yet another impressive save from Begovic.
The home side took the lead on the stroke of half time, just moments after Jonathan Walters had missed a sitter for Stoke, Deulofeu rifling a shot into the top corner after Steven Pienaar and Gareth Barry played a neat one-two.
Mark Langshaw
