It's not often that a side can come up against Pep Guardiola's rampant Man City side, and leave the pitch genuinely disappointed that they didn't get something.
Loud boos greeted the full time whistle, but they weren't directed at the Everton players.
Paul Tierney and his other officials were met by a wall of noise from incensed Blues fans as they rather sheepishly went back into their changing room.
In general Evertonians thought that they had been hard done-by with some of the decisions throughout the match. Any 50/50 calls were going the way of the visitors, there were some fouls handed to them that were perceived to be very cheap.
But then, with just minutes on the clock, the ball bounced up and hit Rodri inside the box.
Everyone in the stadium thought it had struck him on the arm, even the player himself seemed to react as if he knew he was in trouble.
Tierney, however, didn't blow his whistle. After a long VAR check, he wasn't even asked to go over and consult his monitor.
UKRAINE: Mykolenko and Zinchenko in tears during emotional show of support at Goodison
CHRIS BEESLEY: Everton and City decisions send defiant message that is bigger than football
MOTM: Give us your star Blues man today in our quick vote
After the final whistle, the ECHO consulted the Premier League to attempt to get a full answer as to why the Blues were not awarded a spot kick.
The response came that the VAR didn't feel there was enough conclusive evidence, it was subjective, and that Chris Kavanagh back in Stockley Park didn't think there had been a "clear error".
You've all seen the images for yourself. Make of that what you will.
To get a penalty there would have been no more than Everton deserved from what was an all-round brilliant performance across the board in this match.
By their own high standards, the visitors were well below par. Especially in the first period they couldn't find their rhythm in the slightest as the Blues packed out their midfield.
Supporters have wanted to see Everton line up with a three-man midfield for a long time now, ever since Rafael Benitez refused to set up in that style during his time at the club.
The return of Abdoulaye Doucoure to make his first appearance under Frank Lampard finally allowed the boss to use something of a 4-5-1 himself - and it was to great effect for most of this match.
The ECHO asked the Blues boss about his returning midfielder on Friday, and his response perfectly summed up what was to follow just 24 hours later from the 29-year-old.
He said: "He's a fit lad, a big part of his game is energy and athleticism as well as his qualities, and he brings that to the team.
"It's something that we need. In all honesty, we need that energy in midfield, especially with the way we want to play."
He linked up the attack well, he was positionally very aware with his defensive duties, he never shied away from a tackle, he put in every ounce of energy he had for the team.
And he wasn't the only one.
*Give us your Everton player ratings:
Donny van de Beek was brilliant once again, showing off his defensive attributes expertly in the first half with a lung-busting 40-yard sprint to cut out a Raheem Sterling pass towards Kevin De Bruyne.
Allan was the same, making sure he was winning possession high up the pitch for his side on numerous occasions to set up some of their best attacking displays.
Even when City managed to gain the upper hand in the second half, as you always knew they would, Everton seemed to deal with the pressure relatively well.
Sure they created a few chances for themselves, but they're at the top of the Premier League table for a reason - of course they were going to carve some opportunities.
But this was a much better balanced performance from the Blues, thanks largely to how they set up in the middle of the pitch.
It allowed a solid wall to protect the back four, pushing the visitors out wide into a position where Everton felt better equipped to deal with their attacks.
And, winning the ball high up the pitch gave the likes of Richarlison, Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi a lot of opportunities to drop off into half-spaces and cause the Man City back four real problems.
Everton had the better of the first half, but were admittedly on the wrong end of the chances after the break. Realistically, a draw would have been a fair result.
But football isn't fair. Everton are finding that out this season.
They made one big defensive error throughout the game and were ruthlessly punished for it. The long and short of it is, you just can't give Guardiola's squad those sort of opportunities.
The Blues couldn't have looked less like a side in a relegation scrap in this performance though. Take it in isolation and you'd be left baffled as to how they're in the position they are.
Keep performing like that in their other matches, and they won't be in trouble.
But, as we know about this squad of players across the campaign, finding that consistency is the big issue - especially when they travel away from home.
Perhaps having three in midfield might be the difference in that sense.
Having some decisions actually go in the way of Lampard's side for a change will certainly be of a huge benefit.
After many believed this match was a forgone conclusion though, the performance from the hosts proved this was far from the case.
Everton actually went into the half time break with a better expected goals tally than their opponents, showing that they really did have the better chances of the half.
Jonjoe Kenny had the first and had almost the entire Main Stand on their feet in celebration, but his shot had actually cannoned against the side netting rather than finding the top corner.
Then, Richarlison reacted quickly to a loose ball inside the box but his powerful effort was straight at Ederson.
Regardless, the Blues went back down the tunnel satisfied with how they had limited Guardiola's side at one end of the pitch, while causing real issues of their own at the other end.
The second half was a different matter, with the visitors managing to grab the upper hand fairly early on and ominously advancing their back line further and further forwards to pressurise Everton.
Jordan Pickford was called into action to produce a stunning double-save first from Kevin De Bruyne before brilliant throwing his right hand out to get a strong touch onto Bernardo Silva's follow-up.
Unfortunately though, not even he could stop what was eventually the winning goal.
A cross from the left flank was deflected by Mason Holgate towards Michael Keane, who couldn't get his feet right before Phil Foden accepted a gift and smashed the ball into the back of the net.
Then, just a couple of minutes later, came the bizarre decision that everyone left the stadium discussing.
It's truly unfair that this is what the game boiled down to. This was a strong Everton performance, emanating from a change fans have wanted to see for a long time.
Boos sent the officials back down the tunnel, but the huge signs of appreciation for the players from those still in the stands is what should be a real focus.
Cynics might say that results are the only thing that matters, and that is true in a sense.
But this battling display should give everyone at the club a lot of encouragement. City looked invincible not long ago, but they needed the luck of the draw to come away from Goodison with all three points.
Everton need things to go their way soon.
