Demarai Gray was exhausted and injured as he hobbled off in the final minutes of Everton's survival-saving win over Bournemouth.
He had toiled throughout as he spearheaded an attack blunted by injury but fought for every loose ball he could muster the energy to chase. In the end, he could not last the full 90 after a hefty challenge that forced him into the stewards lying down on the touchline in front of the Main Stand - even getting a pat of support from one security official as he tried to get up.
After Dyche substituted him, Gray remained in the dugout and on the final whistle he launched up only to then be limited by the injury the emotion had made him forget - leaving him staggering into the celebrations. It was one of hundreds of small moments that made up the wider story of an anxious and tense day that ended in relief for Everton. Here are a few more.
READ MORE: Everton are safe but this is no success - change is needed at the club
READ MORE: Everton player ratings as Doucoure gets perfect score for stunning Bournemouth goal
Yerry Mina taking Goodison in for one last time
Yerry Mina set up the final game of the season as also being his farewell to Everton in an emotional Instagram post the night before the Bournemouth game.
He used his profile to thank supporters for their backing and to reassure fans of his belief the club would remain a Premier League outfit - as it did. Mina has been excellent since receiving an opportunity from Sean Dyche and his 99th minute equaliser at Wolves in the penultimate match of the campaign was a fitting contribution to the Blues career of a player who has struggled with injury yet still built a bond with supporters. Dyche wanted players to stick to their normal arrival routine for the pressure-laden match and so they turned up at Goodison independently and, as they arrived, crossed the pitch from their entry to the tunnel.
Mina arrived in his dark green club tracksuit and walked across the pitch alone, looking up and around the famous stands in a moment of contemplation. He is a popular figure at the club and by the time he reached the dugouts there were staff members waiting to greet him with a fist bump.
No chance of ignoring the scores elsewhere
While the internet signal is patchy at best inside Goodison - including in the press box - the supporters were always going to find a way to stay in touch with the Leeds United and Leicester City scores. What was not clear was whether the players would get reliable information - or if they would even want it.
In the end, they had no choice. After Harvey Barnes put Leicester ahead against West Ham United, pushing Everton into the bottom three, Goodison quietened for a brief moment and for perhaps the only time of the match the away support could be heard.
They used the opportunity to sing that the Foxes were winning and that, at that stage, the Blues were heading towards the Championship.
Cheeky gamesmanship from the posh seats
At Molineux in the penultimate game of the season there was chaos in the home end as a handful of Wolves supporters voiced their disapproval at celebrations sparked by Everton's late equaliser in the press and VIP section. In the final minutes against Bournemouth there were some useful games from the Goodison posh seats after a ball was hammered clear into their midst.
The ball was retained and play restarted with a new one - at which point the previous ball was launched onto the pitch in a bid to waste more time and take Everton closer to survival. As it bounced onto the playing area Everton launched an attack that Phillip Billing attempted to halt by kicking the spare ball as he chased back only for referee Stuart Attwell to ignore it, leading to Billing passing it behind the Park End goal as play continued.
Amadou Onana's throw-in celebration
In stoppage time Bournemouth found a surge of energy and almost took advantage of Everton's nervousness - coming closest when Matheus Vina forced Jordan Pickford into a diving save.
Everton's players were desperate and their energy was spent as they fought to protect their valuable lead and the passion on display was embodied by Amadou Onana, who battled on the halfway line to halt a Bournemouth attack and managed to smash the ball against an opposition player - meaning danger was averted and Everton retained possession.
As the ball ricocheted into the dugout the midfielder stopped in his tracks, looked to the sky and roared in celebration at the crucial intervention.
Mina's piggy back wastes additional seconds
This article starts with Yerry Mina and ends with the centre back, such was his influence on the game. He is a master of gamesmanship and has repeatedly wound up rival strikers to the point of ineffectiveness in important games - key examples including the job he did on Kai Havertz in the crucial home win over Chelsea that kickstarted Everton's survival run last season.
As Everton's players were forced deeper and deeper in the final stages, Pickford caught a ball and stepped forward as though he was scanning for options to release possession to. Mina had second thoughts. He jumped on the England number one from behind, forcing Pickford to the ground, where he remained to swallow up more useful seconds.
READ NEXT
Sean Dyche calls for change at Everton after securing Premier League safety
Gary Lineker sends 'gutted' message after Everton relegate Leicester
Conor Coady gives emotional interview after Everton avoid relegation
Jordan Pickford sends blunt Everton message as 'massive' future claim made
Jamie Carragher calls for immediate Everton boardroom change after survival
