Dwight McNeil appears so mild-mannered on and off the pitch but he was left incensed against Western Sydney Wanderers due to a poor lunge from Gabriel Cluer.
The Everton star, who has contributed memorable goals against Southampton and Crystal Place, was quickly on his feet to challenge his opponent for his misstimed tackle. It was one of few monents of bite in a game that was won once Anthony Gordon scored his second and Everton's third.
Even before then, despite Wanderers scoring one and hitting the woodwork twice, the Blues looked dominant and missed chances of their own, including several created by nice interchanges of play. What that could mean for Everton is among this selection of interesting or quirky moments and points from beyond the headlines of the game.
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Everton fans and players get homely welcome
Blues fans were left perplexed on Sunday when Everton and Celtic entered the pitch to confetti, bursts of flames and... Celtic and Liverpool anthem You'll Never Walk Alone. Though Celtic had long been the headline act - initially alongside Rangers before the Old Firm rival pulled out - it came as a surprise with the game on neutral territory. Unsurprisingly, Everton fans inside the stadium voiced their displeasure.
When Z-Cars was played as the players came out for the second half at the Accor Stadium it was not quite the same as the sides came out in dribs and drabs and with little fanfare. It was a different story at the CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on Wednesday night - this time both sides entered the pitch before the game to the sound of Z-Cars. Western Sydney Wanderers may have felt aggrieved this time, though their players - like Everton's - were well supported by their fans throughout.
Flickers of a growing understanding in attack
There were flashes of understanding and good link up play from Everton. This was not the sternest of tests but it was nice to watch the likes of Neal Maupay, Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray attack with freedom and intent. Around an hour in Nathan Patterson fired a pass into the box for Gordon, who dummied and ran towards goal. Maupay read the dummy, received the ball and flicked it into Gordon's path. It was one of several promising moves that offer hope Everton's attacking unit could be becoming more coherent.
Other promising signs included an intelligent run across the back line to draw defenders away from Cannon, who was picked out in space but fired over from 15 yards, and a lung-busting run from Patterson to support an attack even when the game was won. Everton were a long way off where they wanted to be as an attacking force by the World Cup break. But time will improve relationships and there were some positive flickers here.
Paul Tait's charges enjoy themselves under Frank's guidance
Frank Lampard has a reputation for developing youngsters but he has had few opportunities to hand out pressure-free minutes in the senior team. Isaac Price has been relied upon throughout the 180 minutes of this trip due to the centre midfielders unavailable to Lampard, and has excelled given the opportunity.
He took a solid core of Paul Tait's Under-21s side to Australia and by the second half was able to give all of the outfield players an opportunity. The match finished with Joe Anderson, Sebastian Quirk, Stanley Mills, Reece Welch, Tom Cannon and, of course, Price all on the pitch - the youngsters adding impetus for the final stages as they took their chance.
An experienced pro adds another chapter to his career
For all the starlets given a reason to celebrate, there was another member of the squad who enjoyed a big moment on Wednesday. Andy Lonergan played for the first time since joining the Blues. He came on at half-time for Asmir Begovic - and had a bonus as he was hamded the captain's armband for his 45 minutes. He had to watch one shot rebound off the bar but otherwise had a quiet night as he spent most of the time watching events further up the pitch.
Lampard stalks the touchline with the benefit of extra space
One unusual sight at the stadium was that of Lampard watching affairs well away from the dugout. Lampard is often on his feet at Goodison Park and elsewhere, the reason at Goodison partly being the poor visibility from being sat down in the dugout. But technical areas are typically small. At the Commbank the lines marking out that area stretched 20 yards down the side of the pitch - meaning that at times Lampard was closer to the penalty box than the halfway line on his side.
Dwight McNeil fumes after unnecessary lunge
Dwight McNeil does not normally lose his temper but in the later stages of this match he was left incensed. McNeil was involved in defensive duties on the edge of his own box and slid in to cleanly win the ball. As he emerged from the tackle and looked set to spark another Blues attack he was caught with a nasty lunge by Gabriel Cleur.
McNeil was outraged and got up to front Cleur, who had earlier been nutmegged by Ruben Vinagre. The incident saw Cleur booked - as well as a bit of pushing and shoving as players from both sides waded into the drama.
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