Well, a win is a win.
But this is not the kind of stressful evening that Rafa Benitez will have particularly expected or wanted from his side.
Make no mistake this was a hugely below-par performance from the Premier League side despite booking their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
The visitors were already being dominated before Moise Kean picked up a rather contentious red card, although quite honestly he shouldn't have given the official a decision to make.
The Blues' reaction to that setback, however, was again a strong one. They stood up in the face of adversity in the opening match of the season, and were faced with an embarrassing situation on this occasion.
However, numerous players stood up to be counted.
Andre Gomes was introduced to the action in the second half and brought creativity and guile to an area of the pitch Everton were distinctly lacking.
Demarai Gray had a similar impact from the bench, but of those who were already on the pitch it was Alex Iwobi and Andros Townsend who caught the eye.
It was no shock, then, that the starting pair were eventually the two goalscorers.
Benitez, on Tuesday, has seen the danger of not only making sweeping changes to a side that was playing well, but has also got a glimpse into the real squad depth at his disposal.
And a question still remains on how many of those who did take to the field against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday evening will still be playing for the club in eight days time.
Kean is the obvious one who still has questions over his future, although his attempt at impressing in the shop window fell flat in the second half after he was sent for an early bath by referee Matthew Donohue.
But there are others who could be in line to leave before next week's transfer deadline, either on loan or on a permanent basis.
Niels Nkounkou, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jonjoe Kenny could all realistically have their immediate football futures elsewhere for the time-being as well.
In terms of performances it was a real mixed bag individually across the pitch for Everton, and in all honesty Benitez might not have learned much about those he really might not known much about.
No player with a real point to prove managed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, but at the end of what was a stressful day it really didn't matter all that much.
The Blues at one stage really looked in danger of folding under the increasing pressure from their Championship opponents, falling to yet another disappointing early League Cup exit in the process.
The changes from Benitez helped to rectify that problem, but credit must go to those on the pitch as well.
The added quality and experience from all of Lucas Digne, Gomes and Gray was key to Everton showing the heart and fight everyone in the away end had travelled to see.
Those supporters will travel back down the M62 happy at going through of course and potentially respectful of the desire their side showed in the closing stages.
But this was far from perfect. It was a below-par performance and those in the stand will certainly know it.
Regardless, a win is a win in cup competitions. Hopefully, no-one will remember the performance at the John Smith's Stadium on this Tuesday night in years to come.
