James Tarkowski pulled himself from the scrap that erupted on the final whistle, charged over the halfway line and roared at the jubilant away end. Jordan Pickford followed him, fist-pumping as he ran. Iliman Ndiaye joined them, flapping his arms as he repeated the goal celebration that earned him a first half-booking after he wheeled towards the Seagulls supporters.

Emotions were running high everywhere. Brighton and Hove Albion fans jeered that Everton were “embarassing” and questioned “how do you watch that every week?” as they shuffled past the travelling staff in the media seats. Behind the goal, 2699 Blues drained the last of their strength after having provided the soundtrack to a surprise victory on the south coast.

Clearly, this was a win that meant far more than three points. For Everton, it is a game changer. Two hard-fought victories have moved them seven points clear of the bottom three and a month that began with turmoil is ending with hope, with belief.

READ MORE: Joel Veltman takes aim at Everton style and penalty decision after ugly full-time scenes

READ MORE: Everton player ratings as one colossal and two more excellent in massive win

Central to that is David Moyes, the returning manager whose experience and understanding of the privileged position he once again finds himself in has reinvigorated a club that was staring down the barrel of a fourth consecutive relegation fight. Challenges still lie ahead and it is far too soon to rule out further jeopardy. But three weeks ago Everton supporters looked towards the new year with a sense of exhaustion after failing to muster a single shot on target as they fell to a miserable defeat at Bournemouth. This is a different club.

Amid the fury and anger on the pitch, Moyes kept his calm. When referee Tim Robinson blew his whistle he was mobbed, first by Abdoulaye Doucoure. Later, as the dust settled and his players vaulted on their teammates’ shoulders in front of the away end, he turned away, raised a thumbs up to a friendly face in the directors box and then smiled to himself as he walked down the tunnel alone.

Everton were not the better side in this game but this was not a smash and grab victory - however much Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler complained about facing 11 men behind the ball and a “low block” after the game. He neglected to mention that Everton ended with 10 players after substitution regulations prevented them from replacing Orel Mangala after he suffered a knee injury in a second half collision with Joel Veltman.

Mangala was one of two Everton players forced down the tunnel nursing what are feared to be significant problems. The other, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, survived just 12 minutes before pulling up and his injury threatens to overshadow this huge win. The striker is central to the plans of Moyes, who is already having to deal with long-term injuries to forwards Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti. Moyes already believes Everton’s squad to be in need of more goals and another central midfielder, though the return to action of James Garner, a second half substitution after several months out, offered some respite.

For now, Everton can travel back to Merseyside revelling in a hard-fought victory. After the game Moyes was keen to stress that this was not completely out of the blue - hinting towards the draws at Arsenal and Manchester City in December under his predecessor Sean Dyche. But Everton has the feel of a very different club right now.

The match hinged on two key passages of play. Brighton dominated the ball in the first half and both Kaoru Mitoma and Tariq Lamptey threatened as Hurzeler urged his side to try and exploit the fledgling partnership of Jake O’Brien and Jesper Lindstrom down the right. They did have some joy, but Pickford was not troubled once before Everton earned the penalty that won this game on the cusp of half-time.

As Beto chased down a ball into the box, Veltman got his body in front of the striker and looked set to see out the danger when he fell and swept the ball away from trouble with his hand.

Robinson initially gave a corner but, as Beto protested, he was sent to the screen by the VAR and pointed to the spot after watching a replay. Brighton’s players and supporters were incensed, believing Veltman had been pushed into the ball by Beto, but Robinson held firm and Ndiaye kept his cool from the spot, though he opted for controversy as he celebrated in front of the away fans.

Brighton emerged from the tunnel full of intensity and subjected the Everton box to an onslaught that lasted the full half, including the eight minutes of added on time.

As has so often been the case when Everton have tasted success in recent seasons, the defence was crucial. Just when Brighton looked set to overwhelm the Blues, they found the strength to beat them out. When legs were too tired to prevent the danger, those in Royal Blue threw their bodies in the way. Brighton almost found the goal that would have given them the foundation to push for a win but midway through the second half, in the second defining passage of this game, Jesper Lindstrom bravely blocked a Mitoma strike then, moments later, Jarrad Branthwaite stuck out his head to glance over a powerful Carlos Baleba effort from the corner that followed.

After that, Brighton’s belief began to disappear, while Everton’s grew stronger. Branthwaite’s stop sparked celebrations in the away box and the threat began to wilter. Balls were still launched into Pickford’s box but they did not carry the same danger and for all that he punched and clawed at crosses, he only had to make one save. While this was a rare Everton win that did not rely upon the brilliance of the England number one, he still put himself front of centre of the action and it did not take long for him to break from the final whistle trouble and lead the scenes in front of the away end.