True-blue Alan Stubbs, an Everton fan all his life, struck the goal that lifted the gloom and turmoil at crisis-hit Goodison Park.

It gave Everton only their second away win since the first day of the season but, more than that, it lifted the pressure on manager Walter Smith.

It was Smith who helped Stubbs rescue his career with a summer free transfer after months fighting cancer. And the big defender repaid his manager by ending a shattering run of five successive defeats that had put the manager's future in doubt.

Everton's board released a cosmetic, spin-doctored statement 24 hours earlier to try to deflect the flak but they stopped well short of an endorsement of the manager.

If his side had lost to the battling Second Division leaders, there would surely have been more calls for his head.

But Everton, after absorbing a lot of pressure and effort from a sound, impressive Stoke side, ended up deserving to win. Stoke did not have one shot on target while the Merseysiders created more than enough to have won convincingly.

Their heroes were their experienced men. Like Paul Gascoigne, who had led the call for more time for his manager during the week from within Everton's dressing room.

Those players backed up their words with their efforts. Stubbs, David Weir, Gazza, half-fit Duncan Ferguson and comeback man Jesper Blomqvist were the strong ones who dragged Everton to this much-needed victory.

For all the problems with injuries that Smith has, from the remnants of his squad he was able to put out reasonably decent side including nine full internationals, but frankly they rarely played to that level. The effort was there but cohesion and passing accuracy were rarities.

Joe-Max Moore and Ferguson had early chances but Stoke's bravery, determination and more than impressive passing, had the Merseysiders defending in depth far too often.

Stoke's Scottish-born top scorer Chris Iwelumo was largely on his own up front but he was more than capable of causing problems with his height, strength and persistence.

After that early Everton flurry, Stoke started to get plenty of joy. First a Clive Clarke cross flashed in from the left and was missed by inches by Karl Hendry's lunging head.

Then, from a corner, defender Wayne Thomas headed over, while Bjarni Gudjonsson was finding space and time on the right to worry David Unsworth and get the ball into the middle for the competitive Iwelumo.

Everton needed Gascoigne to get into the game, and he orchestrated a 20th-minute move involving Ferguson, Blomqvist and finally Moore, with the American's header drifting over.

Everton almost took the lead on 24 minutes when Gary Naysmith's run in from the left ended with a ball into Ferguson's feet and the big Scot, from the edge of the box, saw his effort deflected onto the base of the post by Neil Cutler.

On 27 minutes Everton went close again when Moore laid the ball back to Blomqvist, and the Swede's measured left-footer missed the far post by inches.

Gazza became more involved as Everton used the flanks better but although the movement improved, Everton still failed to looked dangerous.

The visitors still showed an over-reliance on the long ball and this continually gave possession back to a confident, determined Stoke.

They almost paid on 44 minutes when Marc Goodfellow was presented with a clear opening from a Gudjonsson cross that reached the left of the box, only for the Stoke youngster to hit his shot into the ground and wide.

Everton needed to take the initiative and they did just that after the break.

Gazza saw a 25-yarder touched round the post by Cutler and then, after 51 minutes, Everton took the lead when Ferguson was brought down on the edge of the box.

From Unsworth's touched free kick, Alan Stubbs slammed a fine low drive past Cutler to send the 6,000 Everton fans behind that goal wild with delight.

The goal only served to inspire Stoke for more assaults on Steve Simonsen's goal but it could easily have been two when Gazza played a one-two with Moore, surged into the box and saw his low drive deflected by Cutler.

Blomqvist, following up, saw his drive headed out by Thomas. Stoke then reinstated Peter Hoekstra to the front line as substitute for Goodfellow, and soon after, Rikki Dadason came on for Henry and Andy Cooke for Iwelumo as Stoke went to three up front.

It presented Everton with gaps to exploit and Blomqvist was put in down the right to fire into the side netting. But despite Stoke's brave show, Everton deserved to hang on and give themselves some joy for a change.

Teams:

Stoke: Cutler, Rowson, Thomas, Shtaniuk, Clarke, Gudjonsson, O'Connor, Henry (Dadason 70), Vandeurzen, Goodfellow (Hoekstra 64), Iwelumo (Cooke 70).

Subs Not Used: Owen, Ingham.

Everton: Simonsen, Xavier, Stubbs, Unsworth, Weir, Gemmill, Naysmith, Gascoigne, Blomqvist, Ferguson, Moore.

Subs Not Used: Gerrard, Tal, Cleland, Hibbert, Chadwick.

Booked: Gemmill.

Goals: Stubbs 53.

Att: 28,218

Ref: E Wolstenholme (Blackburn).