Three hours before kick-off Richarlison tweeted his goalscoring record. Taking centre stage of the graphic, which depicted how many he had scored for club and country, was the famous crest of Everton.
While he - or whoever was manning his social media accounts at 4.45pm on Wednesday - marked his feats there was one glaring, unachieved landmark within his grasp: His fiftieth strike for the Blues.
This has been far from a vintage season for the 24-year-old. Few will be able to walk away from this campaign without regrets. But in recent weeks, as Everton have needed a hero, he has emerged.
