IF David Moyes likened Everton FC’s recent revival to putting on a bit of make-up, then this performance was very much the bleary-eyed, smudged-faced morning after the night before.

Having challenged his Everton FC players to prove they are the real deal following successive wins over the Wanderers of Wolverhampton and Bolton, the Goodison manager saw his players respond with their ugliest display of campaign.

And this was exceedingly ugly. The kind of ugly that would struggle to face itself in the mirror.

Moyes, though, must surely sit his players down and force them to watch a re-run of an afternoon that encapsulated why the Scot so feared a season of struggle.

A failure to keep a clean sheet.

The meagre creativity from midfield.

The lack of cutting edge up front.

All three shortcomings were glaringly prevalent as Stoke City earned their first victory at Goodison for more than 30 years.

So powder-puff were Everton’s attacking efforts that neither visiting goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen nor his second-half replacement Amir Begovic had a single shot on target to save. Not one.

It would be easy to blame the strikers – or rather, with Louis Saha once again absent through injury, the lack of them – but they weren’t given any chances to miss.

Sure, Everton had plenty of the ball.

But then a hugely under-whelming Stoke needed only one opportunity, which Robert Huth prodded home in the 15th minute, after which they comfortable mopped up the threat from their huffing and puffing hosts.