All eyes were on Wayne Rooney to do the magic but a goal from Leighton Baines gave Everton a slender lead in their Europa League third qualifying round tie against Slovakian side MFK Ruzomberok.
A frustrating display looked set to end in a draw until Baines cracked in a deflected shot from 20 yards.
Rooney was quiet when playing up front but improved once he moved back behind the striker in the second half.
The second leg takes place in Ruzomberok next Thursday.
Everton were dominant in possession throughout but still needed Maarten Stekelenburg to make a crucial save and turn Jan Maslo’s header on to the crossbar.
Ronald Koeman gave debuts to summer signings Cuco Martina, Michael Keane, Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez but will need a better performance if they are to reach the play-off round in August and avoid a repeat of him not reaching the group stage with Southampton two years ago.
It is 13 years since the then-teenage Rooney left Everton for Manchester United for £27m, with his move back this summer causing almost as much discussion and debate as his departure.
Is he the same player who left? No. But will he prove to be a shrewd signing for Koeman? For free, you’d think so.
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