No wonder they celebrated in style. Everton's victory over West Ham United on Sunday not only ended a seven match winless streak for the club, it also breathed new life into a season that looked on the verge of collapseThe injury travails at Goodison Park have been well documented, but deserve repeating nonetheless. Put simply, they are currently playing with what can be classed as a second XI.
Victor Anichebe, Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman, James Vaughan and Phil Neville are all still out and there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel for any of them.
Apart from Vaughan, the other six would all be automatic members of David Moyes's matchday squad so there is no doubt the Scot has his work cut out at present.
And there is not a genuine football fan in the country would does not feel sympathy for Everton's current plight.
However, results are what count in football. Nothing else really matters, regardless of whether you have a full size squad or not. So the fact Everton had not won before Sunday since beating BATE Borisov 1-0 on October 1 in the Europa League meant the pressure levels on Moyes were steadily mounting.
But the result at Upton Park, alleviated that pressure somewhat and the significance of the victory is arguably worth considerably more than the three points Everton received.
The sense of gloom, the despondency and the desperation that has been slowly enveloping Goodison Park was effectively dissipated in the space of 90 minutes.
In other words, the feeling at the club will be - we are back.
And the confidence boost Everton will receive by winning a tough encounter away from home with only half their first-choice side is likely to stand them in good stead for the coming months. It is crucial that they won the final match before the international break because the last thing the club needed was for the sense of crisis to develop during this Premier League hiatus.
Rather than spending the next 10 days fretting about their form and the club's continued sllde down the table, Moyes and his men can relax and look forward to re-starting with fresh confidence and vigour.
And, by the end of the season, Everton may look upon their victory in east London as the day their bid for a top six place really clicked into gear.
