Luke Young's curling shot in the ninth minute secured Aston Villa a 1-0 victory against struggling Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
The right back ran onto a through ball by Ashley Young and placed his left-foot strike past the despairing dive of goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Villa, which rebounded well from its Europa League elimination at the hands of Rapid Vienna on Thursday, required some desperate defending to maintain its lead and climb to six points.
Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar saw his shot strike the bar in the first half and Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel produced two great saves to deny substitute Louis Saha in the closing minutes.
The Merseysiders stayed on one point from three matches but the win provided a much-needed boost for interim Villa manager Kevin MacDonald, who is yet to decide whether he wants to be considered for the vacant job on a full-time basis.
''It's a little bit early to say,'' MacDonald said. ''I will be in training tomorrow morning and if (owner Randy) Lerner is in, I'll speak to him then.''
Luke Young gave his backing to MacDonald, saying: ''The boys respect Kev. He's got great football knowledge and we all think he can do the job.''
Young's forward surge from full back produced a rare goal, but he had Ashley Young to thank for a superb pass that opened up the Everton defense.
The visitors dominated the match after that, with Mikel Arteta impressing in central midfield, but a mixture of poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Friedel kept Everton at bay.
Pienaar's 20-yard shot hit the bar in the 18th minute and Jack Rodwell's header from a free kick by Arteta flashed past the far post.
At the other end, Carew and Ashley Young went close but Villa had American 'keeper Friedel to thank in the frenetic final few minutes. First, he kept out a fierce Saha volley before blocking a low strike from the France striker.
''I can't believe we lost it,'' Everton manager David Moyes said. ''I thought from first minute to last we were in control of the game.
''We have to give Aston Villa a lot of credit for how they defended.''
