Jeff Hendrick scored the only goal as Burnley heaped further misery on Marco Silva with a 1-0 win against an Everton side condemned by Seamus Coleman's red card.
Story of the game
It was a closely-fought first half but one ultimately bereft of quality.
Everton made the brighter start, with Nick Pope the first 'keeper called into action as he was forced to palm Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick behind.
Burnley then got going and fashioned a couple of chances of their own. Erik Pieters lashed just over from the angle after a searching long ball before Johann Berg Gudmundsson headed straight at Jordan Pickford.
There was little action until a lively spell around the half-hour mark. Jeff Hendrick volleyed at Pickford's legs, virtually from the byline, after escaping the Everton defence following a corner, and then miscontrol denied Chris Wood a glorious opportunity with the away side briefly hemmed in.
At the other end, there was a vital intervention by James Tarkowski, who put Richarlison's low cross behind with Dominic Calvert-Lewin lurking in search of a tap-in. Burnley were then fortunate to survive scrambles in and around the six-yard box in two subsequent corners.
The last significant chance of the half fell to Alex Iwobi after great work from Seamus Coleman down the right. Sigurdsson poked it through to the winger but he saw his close-range effort blocked.
Coleman then escaped with a yellow card after leaving a foot in on Erik Pieters and connecting with his ankle. It briefly seemed that the left-back might be forced off but he gingerly returned to the fray.
Everton looked to seize the initiative when the match resumed, with Richarlison driving a shot straight at Pope after being picked out by Iwobi.
But just before the hour mark they were dealt a huge blow, Coleman arriving late and colliding with McNeil and inevitably receiving his marching orders.
Ashley Barnes had a chance to immediately make their man advantage count, but his powerful effort following a knock-down flashed over Pickford's bar.
Everton still looked to push for the opener but showed themselves once again to be vulnerable at set-pieces when Pickford unconvincingly gathered in the melee following a corner.
And moments later that would prove to be the avenue for the breakthrough. Hendrick repeated his first-half trick, finding room around the back and turning-in Ashley Westwood's delivery.
Smelling blood, Burnley went in search of a second, but a warning was fired their way when Michael Keane headed just past the post from a corner at the other end.
There were two chances for the hosts to settle it in quick succession as the game ticked toward its final ten minutes. First, the ball was worked to substitute Jay Rodriguez, one of many queuing up, but he failed to truly test Pickford, and then Gudmundsson lifted an effort over the top after a cross from the left passed Lucas Digne by.
Wood shot wide on the stretch after Westwood clipped a cross into his path, but their misses went unpunished, Everton unable to create anything clearcut from spells of possession in the final third.
The sound of Graham Scott's final whistle was greeted with a roar.
Takeaways
Silva on the brink
It was hoped that Everton could build on the promise of their valiant performance against City, but there are few positives from Marco Silva to take from this one.
Everton lacked any degree of attacking fluency, with Richarlison cutting a frustrated figure throughout, Sigurdsson peripheral before his withdrawal and Iwobi failing to make an impact.
There was no sign of a remedy for their set-piece struggles as they twice failed-up to wise-up to Hendrick's clever movement. That's the sixth goal they've conceded from a dead-ball situation this season, and the 45th of Silva's tenure. Unsurprisingly, no side has shipped more in that time.
The Blues have only one point from four away matches and are hovering above the relegation zone. They need a drastic improvement to spare Silva the axe, but it doesn't appear to be forthcoming.
Burnley's start goes from 'solid' to 'excellent'
Sean Dyche voiced his satisfaction with Burnley's early return in the lead-up to this one, and now he'll be delighted.
The Clarets have climbed into the top four at the time of writing, having picked up their third win of the campaign.
Only Liverpool and Arsenal have beaten them, and they look capable of hoovering up the points at home against their mid-table rivals.
They held firm defensively here and made sure they didn't miss the opportunity which presented itself following Coleman's dismissal.
A 5-1 defeat in this fixture last season marked the low-point of their campaign, but this time it will inspire plenty of hope heading into the international break.
Man of the match
Ashley Westwood
Westwood again underlined his importance to this Burnley team with a match-winning assist and a diligent midfield display which helped to frustrate the visitors.