If the result suggested more of the same as Everton lost 2-1 at Chelsea and slipped out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, then the performance signalled a hopeful first step under caretaker manager David Unsworth.
Unsworth went with a mix of experience, promising youngsters and those on the fringes under Ronald Koeman, and the result was a spirited display full of positives as the Toffees ran the Premier League champions close.
Any defeat hurts and another chance at silverware has gone, but this performance, the second half especially, offered light at the end of the tunnel and something to build on for the trip to Leicester on Sunday.