ASKED TO EXPLAIN EVERTON’S failings in front of goal this season to concerned shareholders at the club’s annual meeting on Thursday, David Moyes could find no excuse and reasoned that a new striker would be a priority when the transfer window opens in January.

A third victory in four, achieved at the expense of a poor Newcastle United team yesterday, may not be reason enough for Moyes to abandon that search for a clinical finisher and, given the plethora of chances his team missed to put a bad-tempered game to bed, those aggrieved shareholders will have felt vindicated by their pointed questioning.

It is too early to say whether Everton have turned the corner after their early-season woes, but they appear to have rediscovered the art of winning 1-0, which they perfected on nine occasions in the Barclays Premiership last term. Erasing the memory of their 4-0 hammering by West Bromwich Albion last weekend, Joseph Yobo’s towering header within 54 seconds of the restart consigned Newcastle to the same fate suffered by Birmingham City and Middlesbrough in recent weeks.

It would have been more had James Beattie and James McFadden not somehow contrived to miss glorious chances late on, but by then there were far greater mysteries still left unanswered. Such as how did Howard Webb, the referee, fail to spot the handball by McFadden in the 40th minute and why were Tim Cahill and Celestine Babayaro, who had been booked for hacking down the Australia midfield player, still on the pitch after a violent exchange moments later?

That six bookings told only half the story of a bruising encounter spoke volumes. Alan Shearer was lucky to escape a yellow card for elbowing David Weir, Scott Parker clattered Mikel Arteta, who reacted by launching an arm in the Newcastle midfield player’s direction, and Babayaro shoulder-charged Phil Neville before being substituted.

Moyes preferred to accentuate the positives, however, given how rare a commodity victory has been for Everton this season. “It was a good performance and a good old-fashioned game,” he said. “They were more determined this week and I can say to the players, ‘Well done’.”

Presumably fearing that he would once again put his foot in his mouth and incur another FA fine, Graeme Souness left it to Alan Murray, his assistant, to speak to the press, but however condemnatory the Newcastle manager’s comments might have been, not least about Webb’s performance, they would have been justified where the penalty appeal was concerned.

Emre Belözoglu’s corner was cleared by Beattie, but only as far as Shola Ameobi, whose thumping shot on the half-volley was hurtling into the bottom corner before a blatant handball by McFadden on the goalline. “Penalty,” the Newcastle players and their magnificent supporters screamed. Not according to Webb.

“We have not been getting those sort of decisions and they do change games,” Murray said. “Everton would have been 1-0 down, they would have been deflated and we would have got a lift.”

And change the game it did. A minute of the second half had not even elapsed when Yobo rose above Peter Ramage to power Arteta’s corner beyond Shay Given for his second goal of the season.

Shearer was twice denied by the athleticism of Nigel Martyn, but it was Everton who should have won comfortably in the end, an unmarked Beattie blasting over from ten yards and McFadden squandering a one-on-one before Cahill was denied on the rebound.

Moyes will not mind that, though. At least his team are now creating chances — and winning.

KINGS OF SINGLE GOAL SUCCESSES

ALL FOUR OF EVERTON’S league wins this season have been by 1-0 — they had beaten Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City and Middlesbrough before yesterday’s win — but they lag well behind Bolton for producing that scoreline in 2005. Sam Allardyce’s team have managed 13 1-0 wins in all competitions in this calendar year, six more than Everton and four more than any other team.

• Number of 1-0 wins recorded by Barclays Premiership clubs in 2005: 13: Bolton. 9: Arsenal. 8: Chelsea, Liverpool. 7: Newcastle United, West Ham United, Everton. 6: Sunderland, Wigan Athletic. 5: Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa. 4: Manchester United. 3: Charlton Athletic. 2: Fulham, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur. 1: Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City.

  BILL EDGAR