Rays of sunshine beamed by the banks of the Mersey and beers were going down smoothly in L4. This match had next to nothing riding on it but that in itself made for a glorious afternoon at Goodison Park.
For now at least, gone are the days of nail-biting, anxiety-inducing games to end the season.
Last year, Premier League survival was not confirmed until a final-day win over Bournemouth. The year before, it was victory against Crystal Palace in the last home outing.
But thanks to Sean Dyche’s steady leadership, Everton came into this match with safety already in the bag – that despite an eight-point deduction.
Just 19 league matches remain at this grand old stadium, so this could well have been the last stress-free day here.
Everton’s resurgent streak continued with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United at Goodison Park
Abdoulaye Doucoure headed home from a Dominic Calvert-Lewin cross to give the Toffees the lead
The goal marked the 31-year-old’s seventh league goal of the season putting him joint-top of the club’s scoring charts
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Everton’s fans were still in good voice – as were the travelling Sheffield United faithful who have not given up on their relegated side – and there was no sign of players treating this as a friendly, especially when Blades captain Jack Robinson clashed with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Toffees, though, kept up their fine form as Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first-half goal sent them on their way to a fifth win in their last seven.
Dyche, still unbeaten in his lucky tracksuit, looks like a strange omission from the manager of the year shortlist published this week.
His side, whose back four had a combined age of 125 here, defended with a steel that has eluded Sheffield United all season – they have conceded a record-breaking 101 goals – and took their chance when it came.
Doucoure was the scorer. The impressive Malian missed a gilt-edged chance earlier after Calvert-Lewin squared a pass to him but Blades keeper Wes Foderingham smothered the ball.
Sean Dyche is a strange omission from the Manager of the Season shortlist given what he has done in the face of two points deductions
A similar situation ensued for the goal as Calvert-Lewin put it on a plate for a Doucoure header.
Chris Wilder’s side barely threatened early on but did grow into the game after the break and Jordan Pickford had to make a couple of stops.
Like most of the year at Sheffield United, it was not enough.
