David Brooks scored a wonderful volleyed goal 13 minutes from time to extend Bournemouth’s unbeaten Premier League run to a club-record eight games and move the team three points behind the Champions League places.

The goal was the antithesis of an insipid Everton display as Sean Dyche’s team failed to register a shot on target in 90 minutes, the prospect of a relegation scrap seeming unavoidable on this evidence as their dreadful run extended to one goal in their past five matches.

For Bournemouth, the unlikely target of a first-ever European qualification looks increasingly within reach, but head coach Andoni Iraola was quick to deflect praise on to his players.

“I don’t play, the important part is the ones who were on the pitch,” said Iraola. “I’m happy because it’s not easy to go eight games unbeaten in the Premier League.

“Now we are playing four teams that are ahead of us in the top five, it’s going to be more difficult to keep the run going. But at least we want to keep the performance level and give us a chance against anyone.”

Bournemouth’s credentials will be tested on that run, in which they face Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle and Liverpool, but should they still sit within striking distance of the top four come the start of February, supporters will rightly start to dream.

‘We need to change the amount of shots we get on target’

Bournemouth’s form provides a stark contrast for Dyche’s Everton, whose attacking woes were compounded when striker Armando Broja was forced off injured in the first half. Reflecting on yet another blank drawn by his shot-shy team, Dyche said: “We need to change the amount of shots we get on target.

“We’ve certainly been trying for two years to do that. It’s very difficult to find players who have that cutting edge, ones who can score a goal.

“It’s the reality. I didn’t know the reality when I first got here, it has shifted significantly. But these are the realities.

“This is the squad, these are the players we’ve got, this is trying to constantly hold players into a more offensive unit whilst defending properly.

“No assurances of any kind. Every time that whistle blows, no manager can assure a result goes your way.”

Everton defender Nathan Patterson looked to take matters into his own hands in the second half when he burst through the middle and within range of goal, before demonstrating the same kind of eye for a finish as his attacking team-mates, delivering the ball high into the Bournemouth supporters behind Mark Travers.

It was beginning to feel destined to drift towards a stalemate. Then up popped Brooks.

The winning goal encapsulated everything Everton were not. Milos Kerkez sent a finely calibrated cross into the box where it arrived at the perfect height for Brooks to skip into the air and, with the kind of confidence that has imbued his team’s brilliant season, volley beyond Jordan Pickford into the far corner.

“We really deserved this one,” said Iraola. “We were controlling the game since the beginning, we knew against Everton it’s difficult to score because they have a good keeper and good centre-backs.

“We had the patience. Probably we should have scored earlier. I think everyone watching the game was feeling that the goal was coming.”