David Moyes and Rafael Benítez, the Everton and Liverpool managers respectively, have had enough verbal spats over the years to eradicate thoughts of bonhomie between the two, but somewhere in between their diametrically opposed positions, there might just be the perfect Barclays Premier League manager.

While Benítez’s dissection of Sir Alex Ferguson’s “mind games” on Friday, 24 hours before Liverpool’s game away to Stoke City, highlighted his readiness to look at the bigger picture, Moyes’s decision to put three points against Hull City above all else, notably the imminent two Merseyside derbies, was akin to being unable to see the wood for the trees.

By allowing Marouane Fellaini, the midfield player, to continue to walk a disciplinary tightrope, having played a key role in making the game safe for Everton by half-time, Moyes has arguably only himself to blame for the Belgian’s two-match suspension that means he will miss the Premier League and FA Cup trips to Anfield.

Fellaini’s 48th-minute booking, for a raised foot against Michael Turner, the Hull defender, was his tenth in 17 appearances since his £15 million arrival from Standard Liége in September. So why was he not replaced at half-time? Moyes said: “At half-time, the question was ‘do we take him off?’ My decision was to stay with it for ten to 15 minutes, but it didn’t go the way we wanted. The important thing was the points against Hull.”

Fellaini’s first-half header, which should have been disallowed for offside, and Mikel Arteta’s searing 30-yard free kick secured victory for Everton and extended Hull’s poor run to one victory in 12 games.

Phil Brown, the visiting team’s manager, said: “In the first ten games, opposing teams and players didn’t know what Hull City were about. Now they do and we have to realise we are one of 14 teams now looking over our shoulders.”

Everton (4-4-1-1): T Howard 6 — A Hibbert 6, P Jagielka 7, J Lescott 6, L Baines 7 — L Osman 7, P Neville 7, M Arteta 8 (sub: J Rodwell, 90min), S Pienaar 6 — M Fellaini 6 — T Cahill 7 (sub: V Anichebe, 74). Substitutes not used: C Nash, A van der Meyde, S Castillo, L Jutkiewicz, D Gosling. Booked: Fellaini, Cahill. Next: Liverpool (a).

Hull City (4-1-4-1): B Myhill 6 — P McShane 6 (sub: P Halmosi, 79), M Turner 6, K Zayatte 5, S Ricketts 6 — I Ashbee 5 — B Mendy 5, D Marney 6 (sub: C Fagan, 64 6), N Barmby 6, Geovanni 5 (sub: D Cousin, 65 6) — M King 6. Substitutes not used: M Duke, N Doyle, R France, G Boateng. Booked: Mendy, Zayatte, Ricketts, Cousin, Fagan. Next: Arsenal (h).

Referee: M Atkinson Attendance: 37,527