The deadlock was broken five minutes before the break with what was Everton’s first shot on target.

A clever reverse pass by Mikel Arteta to Tim Cahill created confusion inside the Stoke penalty area. Cahill laid the ball into Yakubu’s path and he coolly steered it into the bottom corner from 18 yards.

A sloppy passage of play ensued as both teams struggled to retain possession, seemingly becoming bereft of ideas when in the opposition’s final third.

New signing Castillo would not have impressed his team-mates, or the Everton supporters, when either side of the half-hour mark he twice misplaced a routine pass and kicked the ball out of play.

Another long throw from Delap presented Seyi Olofinjana with a shooting opportunity 10 minutes before the break, when Everton could only clear the ball to the edge of their own area, but the former Wolves midfielder wildly blasted over the crossbar.

Five minutes later Yakubu put Everton ahead with the Merseysiders’ first shot on target.