For the third time, Everton’s Premier League status is on the line going into the final day of the season when they host Bournemouth on Sunday.
The Blues survived on both previous occasions in 1994 and 1998 but unlike then, their fate is in their own hands this time around with Sean Dyche’s side knowing a win will guarantee they stay up. Although second time around, Everton were ultimately pegged back by Dion Dublin’s 89th minute equaliser after Nick Barmby’s penalty was saved five minutes earlier, from the moment that Gareth Farrelly had fired them ahead in the seventh minute, they were always on course for safety.
Their first ‘Great Escape’ in 1994 though was by far the most dramatic given the nature of their comeback at Goodison Park, the number of clubs involved and the changing picture across the afternoon with a rival club’s doom not sealed until the last few seconds. Just seven years on from their last League Championship in 1987, Everton faced a first relegation since 1951 after an alarming slump in form after Howard Kendall had resigned to end his second spell as manager following a 1-0 home win over Southampton on December 4 had moved them up to 11th.
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The Blues were left to drift over the festive period – losing six out of seven games during caretaker boss Jimmy Gabriel’s winless tenure – and despite starting with a 6-2 home thrashing of Swindon Town in his first Premier League game in charge, Kendall’s successor Mike Walker was unable to stop the rot. Having lost seven out of 10 in the run-in, Everton went into the final game of the campaign in the relegation zone for the first time all season having been beaten 3-0 at Leeds United in their penultimate fixture.
Going into the final weekend, Swindon Town had already been relegated, Joe Royle’s Oldham Athletic – who’d had to play the previous Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday – needed a win and a goal difference swing – while four other clubs, Everton, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Southampton could all go down. This is how the table looked before kick-off on Saturday May 7 going into the final games with Everton hosting Wimbledon while all their rivals had away matches – Oldham at Norwich City, Ipswich Town at Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United at Chelsea and Southampton were across the capital at West Ham United.
Here’s a rundown of how the goals went that day and what they meant for the relegation picture.
4 minutes: Everton 0 Wimbledon 1 (Dean Holdsworth penalty)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
11 minutes: West Ham United 1 Southampton 0 (Danny Williamson)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
13 minutes: Norwich 0 Oldham 1 (Sean McCarthy)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
20 minutes: Everton 0 Wimbledon 2 (Gary Ablett own goal)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
24 minutes: Everton 1 Wimbledon 2 (Graham Stuart penalty)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
29 minutes: Chelsea 0 Sheffield United 1 (Jostein Flo)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
45 minutes: West Ham 1 Southampton 1 (Matthew Le Tissier)
Going down at half-time: Everton & Oldham
52 minutes: West Ham 1 Southampton 2 (Neil Maddison)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
57 minutes: Chelsea 1 Sheffield United 1 (Jakob Kleldbjerg)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
59 minutes: Chelsea 1 Sheffield United 2 (Glyn Hodges)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
62 minutes: West Ham 2 Southampton 2 (Martin Allen)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
65 minutes: West Ham 2 Southampton 3 (Matthew Le Tissier penalty)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
67 minutes: Everton 2 Wimbledon 2 (Barry Horne)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
70 minutes: Chelsea 2 Sheffield United 2 (Mark Stein)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
73 minutes: Norwich 1 Oldham 1 (Rob Ullathorne)
Going down: Everton & Oldham
81 minutes: Everton 3 Wimbledon 2 (Graham Stuart)
Going down: Ipswich & Oldham
89 minutes: West Ham 3 Southampton 3 (Ken Monkou own goal)
Going down: Ipswich & Oldham
90 minutes: Chelsea 3 Sheffield United 2 (Mark Stein)
Going down: Sheffield United & Oldham
So despite going ahead early before being pegged back, Oldham Athletic never actually moved out of the relegation zone all day. Everton, who were also in there from before kick-off, remained in the bottom three until they finally fought back from 2-0 down to go 3-2 up with just nine minutes remaining.
Stuart’s winner among the pandemonium at Goodison Park, briefly put Ipswich Town, who were playing out a goalless draw at Ewood Park in the drop zone but then Chelsea striker Mark Stein’s second goal of the afternoon in the last minute at Stamford Bridge, ensured Sheffield United who had been safe all day, fell below the line with seconds to spare and there was no way back for the Blades.
While Evertonians recall the tumultuous scenes at their own ground, there was also a degree of chaos elsewhere. When suddenly hearing from their reserve keeper Clive Baker that they needed a late winner, John Wark recalled that Ipswich were being told: “Attack, attack, attack” but then all of a sudden when it filtered through that Chelsea had nicked it at the death, they were instructed to get back and defend.
Everton striker Tony Cottee admitted he didn’t know whether his own side’s recovery had been enough as he raced off the Goodison turf following a post-match pitch invasion but Wimbledon striker John Fashanu who had not been playing that day, had heard the other results and told him: “You’re safe.” In contrast to Ipswich, Sheffield United had been given incorrect information that everyone else was ahead and they were pushing forward for a winner they didn’t require at Stamford Bridge, only to get sunk in stoppage time and their manager Dave Bassett lamented: “When you play Russian Roulette, you sometimes get the bullet.”
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