Everton say they are assisting police with their enquiries after a flare was lit on the statue of club legend and top scorer Dixie Dean outside their Goodison Park home.
Images and videos emerged on social media on Monday night ahead of Everton's Premier League clash away at Tottenham of the flare lit on the statue, with the incident widely condemned by supporters.
Former England centre-forward Dean - who died in 1980 - is an Everton icon and scored 383 goals for the club in 433 appearances between 1925-37.
A statue commemorating his achievements with the club was unveiled at Goodison Park back in 2001, with fans taking to leaving flowers in memory of loved ones at the base of the monument.
Thankfully, Everton confirmed that neither the statue nor those floral tributes had been permanently damaged by the flare.
"Everton is assisting Merseyside Police with enquiries in relation to a flare ignited on the Dixie Dean statue outside Goodison Park," the club said in an official statement.
"We encourage anyone with information relating to this disappointing and disrespectful incident to contact Merseyside Police.
"Following inspection - and cleaning of the memorial and the site - we can thankfully confirm no permanent damage has been done to the statue of our greatest-ever goalscorer - or the floral tributes laid at the foot of the statue."
