Sean Dyche turned to clap the Everton fans, but he was applauding about 3,000 empty seats. Most of the supporters had gone. Even the M6 seemed more appealing than watching any more of Everton. Early-season optimism could have disappeared inside 90 minutes.
Sometimes history is made at historic clubs, but it isn’t always the right sort. For the first time since 1955/56, Everton have lost their first two league games of a season without scoring. They lost their first two last season, too, and their only scorer then was Lucas Digne, already an Aston Villa player. At the end of the season, Dyche argued Everton needed major change.
