With so many sides struggling for consistency, a third consecutive European qualification remains there for the taking for the Goodison Park outfit but on this showing much more quality will have to be shown.

Indeed, in the same way that a couple of good results can rocket you up the table a phenomenon Everton have benefited from in recent weeks, if you start to slip up you can soon plummet.

With a trip to revitalised Tottenham followed by an away day at Manchester City and visits of Aston Villa and Chelsea next month, Moyes will have to be wary that his side do not slide back down among the dead men come Christmas time.

In truth Everton looked a far cry from being anything near to a top-six Premier League outfit as they crashed to a first ever defeat at the JJB Stadium.

If it wasn’t for the individual brilliance of goalkeeper Tim Howard then Wigan could have been out of sight.

Antonio Valencia slipped past Joleon Lescott far too easily to set up Henri Camara’s winner; Phil Neville struggled to pick out any of those fluorescent yellow jerseys all night and Mikel Arteta’s set-pieces lacked any of their normal accuracy.

It still remains to be seen just which way this season is going to turn for Everton but their latest chance to build a platform for success has collapsed to the ground in the same manner as Cahill following his last-gasp missed shot.