It was five months that Dominic Calvert-Lewin kept Everton in the Premier League, with a priceless late goal against Crystal Palace that will go down in Goodison folklore.
But against the same opposition on only his second start of this campaign, the striker may just have produced an equally important finish - for himself at least - in front of watching England boss Gareth Southgate.
The centre forward has been plagued with injury over the past year, but his match-winning performance here suggested the sharpness which made him an automatic choice in Southgate’s squad, may just have returned in time to be considered for the World Cup.
It depends now on whether the England boss had already made up his mind on the preliminary 55 man squad that has apparently been submitted to FIFA, but will not be made public by the manager.
His presence here at Goodison though suggests Calvert-Lewin is still under consideration for the final 26 player squad that will go to Qatar in November. Even if he isn’t, if someone gets injured before the finals from the final 26, then Southgate is at liberty to select who he likes.
Calvert-Lewin said: "It’s every boy's dream to go to the World Cup. I’ve been counting down the days to get back on the pitch and all I can do is play the best I can for Everton and score goals and see where that takes me. First and foremost it’s what I do here."
What joyous Everton fans saw here on a positively balmy Merseyside afternoon, was a striker who hinted at the previous levels of both sharpness and confidence which made him an international regular. And one who - perhaps crucially - is actually fit and fresh.
His goal which effectively decided the course of this contest, and gave the home side a hugely important victory after three straight defeats left the Blues perilously close to the relegation zone, was the old Calvert-Lewin, the striker who tormented Premier League defenders under Carlo Ancelotti.
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He has suffered desperately since that period, this only his third start since that glorious evening at the back end of May where he inspired a titanic comeback to write a huge chapter in the Goodison story, as his side came from two goals down to beat Palace 3-2 and ensure safety.
While the stakes were not quite so high here, they were big enough personally for the 25 year old, who must feel he’s cursed by the injury troubles which have so blighted the past year.
His manager Frank Lampard, though has argued his striker is now ready to rediscover the form of his prime. Those words were given resonance by his goal on 11 minutes, when he cleverly rolled another England contender Marc Guehi, to send a fierce, precise shot screaming into the net.
Southgate can only have marvelled at the centre-forward’s hold up play and physical presence, but also his passing and movement, which gave Everton a platform they have lacked this season.
They had scored just once in the three defeats prior to this and only eight all season - the three that secured victory, the first treble since that remarkable win over Palace at the end of last season - and it was not hard to see why.
Everton have a focal point again, while Palace badly lacked one, offering little threat up front, with only two shots on target, and none of the intensity that has been a trademark under Patrick Vieira.
It meant the game seemed over long before Anthony Gordon’s tap in - after good work from Amadou Onana to set up a shot from Vitali Mykolenko that was only parried - confirmed it.
A late finish from sub Dwight McNeil merely served to rubber stamp the victory, but this was all about Calvert-Lewin, and whether Southgate had the foresight to place him on that 55-man list.
