A total of 53 points separated Everton and Liverpool at the end of last season. On the sixth game of this new campaign the huge gulf that existed just months ago was reduced to nothing.
Against the side that played every game imaginable last year, in the 241st Merseyside derby the team that had been so close to catastrophe competed as equals. Not only that, the Blues came inches from a victory in a performance that showcased the progress being made under Frank Lampard.
After Conor Coady 's thumping close range finish was ruled offside by the tiniest of margins, once again Lampard can point to luck just not quite falling for a side that remains winless in the Premier League. This was a display suggesting Everton will not need to rely on luck over the coming months, however.
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It was an offering of bravery and vindication - courage in Lampard playing four at the back against one of the world's most potent attacks and emphatic confirmation those questioned from the outside - Coady and Nathan Patterson among them - could excel without the safety net of a third centre back alongside them.
The narrative from the Midlands was Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage allowed his former captain to leave for Everton because the 29-year-old could only play in a back three. Coady made a mockery of such claims as he and James Tarkowski formed a partnership Liverpool found tough to penetrate. For the first time since December, Liverpool did not score in the Premier League.
This was not perfect from Everton. Jordan Pickford was forced into several big saves and the woodwork came to the rescue at times - including from Mo Salah in the dying moments. But for the first time this season the home side improved after the hour mark, Lampard able to turn to deadline day signing Idrissa Gueye to provide not just stability in midfield but a foundation upon which his teammates could build wave after wave of attack.
When the final whistle went there was a degree of relief from the home fans after the late scare offered by Salah. There was genuine disappointment they had not broken the Goodison derby curse too. That such frustration is justified is an indication of how far Everton have come since the last derby back, when defeat left the Blues in the relegation zone and staring into an abyss.
Liverpool started the game with early dominance but the Everton defence stood resolute, Coady and Tarkowski dealing with anything that came into the box. As the half continued without the away side fashioning any serious chances, the Blues grew into the game. The central midfield hustled and pressed and created opportunities for the hosts to break, Neal Maupay playing Amadou Onana into the box only for the 21-year-old to be forced out wide and into a scuffed cross that was easily dealt with.
Everton kept going, and kept creating, albeit half-chances. Maupay shot across the face of goal and as the noise from the home fans rose with the level of their players' performance, Gordon forced Alisson into a diving stop by driving a loose ball goalwards following an Everton corner.
As Everton grew in confidence, the belief flowing through the players, the temperature rose. Demarai Gray and Kostas Tsimikas engaging in battle down the Blues' right and Gordon then picking up the fight when he switched flanks with Gray.
When Tom Davies flicked a ball with the outside of his boot it looked as though Everton would take the lead. His bending effort floated towards the far corner in slow motion but as the crowd began to rise in anticipation they were instead forced to endure the shot rebounding off the post. Inches prevented the homegrown midfielder from a dream goal inspired by the hustle of first Gordon and then Patterson as they trapped Liverpool on the edge of their own box.
While Everton competed toe-to-toe with their fiercest rivals, Liverpool retained a threat. Darwin Nunez was a danger from deep balls, choosing to attack the back post where his competition was Patterson rather than Coady or Tarkowski. It was Nunez's footwork that provided the visitors' best chance of the first half though, the Uruguay striker creating space on the edge of the box and forcing Pickford into a spectacular save. Pickford could still only tip onto the bar and the rebound ended up at the feet of Luis Diaz, who then hit the post.
Liverpool brought Roberto Firmino on at half-time and immediately caused more problems, the Brazilian forcing Pickford into another superb save low to his right just after the break. In a frantic start to the second half, during which Maupay looped an overhead kick onto the roof of Alisson's net and a smart Nunez volley was blocked by Pickford, there was a danger Liverpool could overrun the home side.
But just like in the first half, Everton grew into the game - Alex Iwobi and Davies hustling in midfield and Gordon getting behind the newly-introduced James Milner to win a corner and get the Gwladys Street crowd on its feet. When Idrissa Gueye was introduced for his Goodison return, and then Patterson broke into the box and saw his shot force a corner, the decibels rose further.
The Grand Old Lady was bubbling and fizzing amid the chaos as Pickford saved from brilliantly from Firmino, then blocked the same striker's header from the corner that followed in back-to-back saves reminiscent of his heroics against Chelsea in May. After Pickford shovelled away a Fabinho header Everton then broke down the left and Gray exploited the space before him and pulled back - just out of reach of Gordon but into the path of Maupay. This time Alisson was the hero. Liverpool kept coming, but then Everton kept springing back on the counter. It could not happen, could it? It would not happen, would it? Yes. And no. Goodison took off when Coady smashed in from close range after another Everton counter created another corner. After more than a decade of pain and misery the Blues appeared on the brink of a home derby win. But then that other old enemy of Everton - VAR - emerged and revealed Coady was offside. Inches. Inches from history. The goal did not count but the scenes that followed cannot be dismissed - any doubts over the allegiances of the Liverpool FC academy graduate were destroyed by the celebrations when he thought he had scored.
The disappointment did not stop the Blues. Iwobi and then Onana showboated their way past rival players as they kept coming and, when Virgil van Dijk caught Onana with a nasty challenge that could have brought more serious punishment than the yellow card he received, it was the visitors who were looking ragged. Alisson produced another stunning save from a deflected Dwight McNeil shot before Salah tested the woodwork again. The final moments did provide some anxiety for Everton. Throughout the game, Pickford needed to be excellent and the woodwork came to the rescue three times.
But make no mistake, Everton were a menace to Liverpool too. This was a performance that offered genuine hope the Blues' first win is on the way. It came so close to being that moment.
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