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.
