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First-half goals from Marouane Fellaini and Mikel Arteta helped Everton to a 2-0 Premier League win over Hull City at Goodison Park.

Fellaini glanced home a Leighton Baines cross on 19 minutes while Arteta lashed a thunderbolt free-kick past Boaz Myhill just before half-time in a match Everton dominated.

Hull have now lost their last four Premier League matches as the freefall continues following a fine start to their debut season in the top flight.

The Toffees controlled the first half as Hull sat deep and looked to play them on the break.

David Moyes again started with Tim Cahill up front, with Ayegbeni Yakubu and Louis Saha still injured, but the Australia midfielder often traded places with Fellaini to good effect.

The hosts took the lead when Leighton Baines swung over a superb centre that Fellaini - who looked suspiciously offside - cleverly headed across Boaz Myhill.

They continued to pressurise the Hull goal and Leon Osman and Fellaini again went close with an angled drive and downward header respectively.

Belgium midfielder Fellaini was making his considerable physical presence felt and almost headed a high hopeful ball into the back of the net just after the half hour in an incident that left Wales international keeper Myhill in a heap on the floor.

Michael Turner had a rare chance for Hull when he dragged a 35th-minute shot wide, but Everton continued to boss the match with a succession of corners leading into the half-time whistle.

The hosts got a deserved second when, in first-half injury-time, the otherwise quiet Arteta smashed a superb 30-yard free-kick into the top-left corner in what will be a contender for goal of the month.

The second 45 minutes was a dull affair with Hull exercising damage limitation and Everton content to keep the ball.

The biggest moment of excitement came when Phil Jagielka inadvertently put a reducer on defensive team-mate Joleon Lescott, with both players thankfully unharmed, while a succession of bookings around the hour mark highlighted what was a scrappy, disjointed passage of play.

Osman should have put the result beyond doubt with a late shot from close range that flew well over, but the threat from Hull was so negligible that it was never likely to affect the result.

Everton stay sixth despite the win on account of Arsenal's victory over Bolton, while Phil Brown's Tigers stay eighth after Fulham's match with Blackburn was postponed and Newcastle held West Ham.

Reda Maher / Eurosport