Everton deservedly collected a monumental victory over fellow Premier League strugglers Leeds to climb out of the relegation zone and send their opponents into trouble.
Seamus Coleman scored the winning goal in the second half owing to an error from goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who failed to cover his front post, allowing the skipper’s effort to arrow in.
Victory was Everton’s second in three games under new manager Sean Dyche, lifting them up to 16th place, while Leeds drop to 19th and remain without a win under interim boss Michael Skubala.
Everton offered the more potent threat in the first half at Goodison Park and centre-back James Tarkowski’s towering header was pushed away by Meslier.
Neal Maupay’s spin and shot and Vitaliy Mykolenko’s effort were straight at Meslier in the second period, but Coleman’s winner now gives Everton real hope of survival.
Leeds failed to muster a shot on target. Patrick Bamford driving wide from the edge of the box in the opening period was the closest they came.
It was dubbed a relegation six-pointer beforehand and Everton came away with all the points to boost their chances of remaining in the top flight come the end of the campaign.
The Dyche era saw a dream start with victory over Arsenal and, although they were beaten by Merseyside rivals Liverpool on Monday, Everton returned to winning ways following a sequence of 12 defeats in 16 games.
