28 May 2023 , 18:11
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The firework explosions outside Goodison Park to greet the goal which ultimately kept Everton up were impressive enough…but nothing compared to the pyrotechnics inside the ground.
A strange kind of fury descended on this ramshackle old stadium, faces contorted with an emotional outpouring which defied description: two parts relief, one part joy, and a pinch of anger thrown in.
No wonder. These Everton fans have suffered so much in the past few years, thanks to the frankly bonkers recruitment policy of the club’s owner Farhad Moshiri, both on and off the pitch.
Rafa Benitez was of course the most barmy of all, instantly turning a loyal support towards mutiny, but others were almost equally perplexing. Frank Lampard. Sam Allardyce too. All Moshiri appointments. Say no more.
And the list of expensive failures that each manager brought into the club is a heavy price the club is still paying – half a million wasted on the vanity signings by an owner who has no clear direction…but many, many crazy ideas.
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So that release, a truly deafening moment on 57 minutes when Abdoulaye Doucoure got the goal his committed performance deserved, said much, but chiefly: enough is enough, this can’t go on.
Fans of Everton invaded the pitch after the full-time whistle (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)