A late show from substitute Rhys Hughes inspired Everton Under-23s to a 2-0 home win over Burnley in the Premier League Cup on Monday night.
Wales youth international Hughes netted the opener with a sumptuous curling free-kick with 16 minutes remaining, before turning provider nine minutes later to set up Tom Cannon to seal the victory.
In a first half where both sides struggled to find their attacking rhythm, the Blues edged possession with midfielders Lewis Warrington and Tyler Onyango dominating the midfield battle.
But clear-cut chances were few and far between - and it was the Clarets who came closest to breaking the deadlock just before the half hour mark.
Fortunately, Kyle John was alert enough to divert Ne-Jai Tucker's inviting cross away from danger with Owen Dodgson poised to convert.
Onyango, who returned from a serious ankle injury in the 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Leeds United last week, gained another valuable 45 minutes of action as he stepped up his recovery before being withdrawn at the half-time interval.
Everton once again enjoyed plenty of the ball in the second half as they looked to break down a compact Burnley outfit.
The first opportunity of the second period fell to Toffees striker Cannon, who took aim from the edge of the penalty before zipping an effort narrowly wide of the post.
The opening goal of the contest finally came with just over a quarter of an hour remaining, as attacking midfielder Hughes expertly-dispatched a 20-yard free-kick over the wall and into the bottom left corner.
Burnley came close to a response when Michael Mellon flicked a pass into the path of Ben Woods, but Blues’ goalkeeper Harry Tyrer did well to come off his line and smother the Burnley midfielder as he bore down on goal.
Everton doubled their lead on 84 minutes, when Hughes played a smart one-two with Lewis Dobbin before cutting back to Cannon, who made no mistake in calmly sliding into the bottom corner to open his account for the season.
There was a final chance for Burnley when Stanley Mills brought down Mellon inside the penalty area, but Max Thompson's effort from the spot sailed high over the crossbar and Everton held out for a clean sheet.
The result sees David Unsworth's side return to winning ways in the Premier League Cup after tasting defeat to Sheffield United in their opener in the competition last month.
Next up for the Under-23s is a return to Premier League 2 action with a trip to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon (1pm BST).
