THERE was a moment early on in the second half that neatly encapsulated the travails that currently afflict Everton.

With the Goodison outfit pressing forward, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov stood over a free-kick as his team-mates packed the penalty area in anticipation of an expected cross.

Instead, the Russian inexplicably kicked the ball straight out of play.

Such is the way of things for David Moyes’s side right now, as their winless run was stretched to eight games by Europa League defeat against Benfica.

The Portuguese inflicted Everton’s heaviest-ever European loss with the 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon a fortnight ago.

Last night they settled for two as Javier Saviola’s well-crafted 63rd-minute opener was added to 13 minutes later by Oscar Cardozo, the pair who both scored twice at the Estadio da Luz.

Everton have not tasted victory since the Europa League triumph at BATE Borisov five weeks ago.

With the Belorussians and AEK Athens playing out a 2-2 draw in Group I’s other fixture, Moyes’s side remain in second place, but much will depend on the outcome of their visit to Greece next month.

Benfica’s comprehensive triumph in Lisbon underlined their reputation as among the most free-scoring sides on the Continent.

However, their unbeaten start to the domestic campaign was halted at the weekend by title rivals Braga, while defeat at AEK earlier in the group stage – who were dispatched 4-0 at Goodison – suggested vulnerability on their European travels.

Last night’s evidence suggested otherwise, as a dominant second- half showing made them the first team to win at both Goodison and Anfield in European competition.

As against Aston Villa at the weekend, Moyes sent out his team with the intention of being difficult to break down.

But Everton have now gone eight games since keeping a clean sheet and, more worryingly, have forgotten how to win at home, Benfica joining Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Villa in heading back from Goodison unscathed.

Speaking in his pre-match programme notes, Moyes understandably bemoaned the lack of defensive options that contributed greatly to their downfall in Portugal.

Yet there were no such issues last night, with Tony Hibbert recovered from flu and taking his place at right-back to move within one appearance of the European record at the club held by Colin Harvey and Brian Labone.

Hibbert’s return was one of two enforced changes made by Moyes with John Heitinga and Lucas Neill ineligible.

It meant another positional change for Tim Cahill who, again skippering the side, moved into a holding midfield role alongside Jack Rodwell.

Yet the Australian, like too many of his colleagues, struggled to make an impact going forward, the absence of creative duo Mikel Arteta and Steven Pienaar brought sharply into focus against such opposition.

With Louis Saha’s ongoing calf problem ruling the Frenchman out, Yakubu was retained in attack after playing almost the full 90 minutes against Villa.

While Moyes believes the Nigerian remains several months from peak match sharpness after missing almost 10 months with a serious Achilles injury, the striker has demonstrated signs of rediscovering his verve in recent outings.

And Yakubu was clearly determined to make an impression given a lively first-half performance in which he was the focal point of Everton’s efforts.