Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin hand Sam Allardyce perfect start against Huddersfield

He appeared in the night, heaving himself from the passenger door of a classic car with blacked out windows. He ignored those shivering behind the steel railings waiting patiently for autographs because anger was present in the crowd. They were shouting at the owner whose mind was on a meeting with refuge inside an empty stadium an hour or so before kick-off. They did not want his autograph. He is Sam Allardyce. The owner is Farhad Moshiri. They might not speak for absolutely everybody but they were Everton supporters. That was Wednesday.

This was Saturday: Everton winning for a second game in succession, keeping a clean sheet for the second game in succession – Everton heading into the top half of the Premier League for the first time since the August and remarkably, they are now just seven points behind the much-fancied Tottenham Hotspur. The difference four days can make.

It would be inaccurate to say the improvement in results is a consequence of Allardyce’s specific practices. He has only overseen two training sessions and he continued here with the same team selected by David Unsworth in his last game in charge.

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There is no doubt, though, Allardyce’s presence has sharpened senses among Everton’s players, particularly when you see him standing on the very edge of the technical area as close to the pitch as he could be, pointing this way and that; the clarity of his instructions obvious and very audible.

Frequently, Sammy Lee would join him, leaping from the dugout to contest decisions with David Wagner, the Huddersfield manager. Lee could also be seen offering regular advice to Jonjoe Kenny, Everton’s young right back – the recipient of an early booking for chopping down Elias Kachunga.

The sight of Lee getting so wound up in his Everton tracksuit reminded that these are unusual times at Goodison Park. While overseeing the warm-up Lee was embraced by Bill Kenwright, who vetoed his appointment when Ronald Koeman proposed that he should follow him from Southampton 18 months ago. Rivalry was behind Kenwright’s ruling. Lee had celebrated many victories in the name of Liverpool on this ground.

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Everton’s goals here came from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin but Wayne Rooney was again Everton’s most influential performer following his hat-trick from midfield against West Ham. His surges from deep and precise passes created the opportunities to transform the feeling of the afternoon.

This had been a fiesta of flying elbows, head collisions, scruffy play and goalkeeper inactivity. Only Aaron Lennon attacked with any purpose or confidence. If any half-time score deserved to be 0-0 then this was it.

The second period followed more or less the same pattern. Allardyce had been frustrated by the quality of Sigurdsson’s free-kicks before he delivered the game’s opening goal following Rooney’s persistence. Everton’s second arrived when Calvert-Lewin was released by Rooney’s delicious pass. For that, Rooney received a big hug from Lee. Another reminder of these unusual times.