Evertonians paying their final visit to Goodison Park were not hard to identify afterwards, they remained in their seats for one last, lingering look around the old place. A woman turned back as she reached the exit and waved goodbye. Goodison’s penultimate fixture, however, proved an occasion for Ipswich to savour as they make a dignified return to the Championship.
Everton were two goals up and cruising towards a first home win in three months when Julio Enciso changed the complexion of the contest with a stunning finish. David Moyes’s side suddenly had doubt where previously they had control and a late header from substitute George Hirst completed the recovery for Kieran McKenna’s spirited side. Another two-goal lead blown by Everton and an opportunity wasted against a relegated, depleted and limited opponent.
“It’s about understanding how to see a game through,” said the Everton manager. “We made some terrible decisions for their second goal with runs and tackles that were not needed and left ourselves exposed. We never shook Ipswich off.”
There was a party atmosphere inside Goodison for the final Saturday 3pm kick off in the stadium’s 133-year history. Initially, at least. The celebratory mood was in no small part thanks to Everton supporters group The 1878s, volunteers who have decorated the ground with banners and flags for the past three years and produced a magnificent display for one last time. Such was the emotional pull of the occasion that members of The Russian Toffees were present. They had driven 12 hours to get out of Russia and caught a flight from Georgia.
Carlos Alcaraz created the opening goal for Beto with a superb inswinging cross from the left. Neither Luke Woolfenden nor Cameron Burgess paid enough attention to the powerful striker standing between them and Beto steered a fine header into the bottom corner. Former Everton centre-forwards Joe Royle and Bob Latchford, looking on, would no doubt have appreciated the finish.
It was the Guinea-Bissau international’s first goal in nine games and swiftly followed by Dwight McNeil marking his 100th Everton appearance with his first goal since September. The winger, working his way back to full fitness after a four-month injury lay-off, doubled Everton’s lead with an exquisite shot from 25 yards. McNeil was urged to shoot the moment he received Nathan Patterson’s first time pass in space on the right. He obliged with an outstanding drive that flew into Alex Palmer’s right-hand corner, the goalkeeper completely deceived by the swerve on the shot.
● Following their 2-2 draw against Manchester United in February, Everton have failed to win consecutive Premier League home games in which they led by two or more goals for the very first time in the competition.
● Ipswich overturned a two-goal deficit to gain a result in a Premier League game for the first time since October 2001 against Southampton (3-3).
● Everton’s Beto scored his 10th Premier League goal in his 57th appearance, with six of them coming in his last 13 games.
● Only the former Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic has scored more goals in the Premier League with 100% of them coming with a specific body part (28/28 with right foot) than Dwight McNeil (21/21 with his left foot). Opta
The threat from Ipswich to that point had been limited to Liam Delap making his presence felt on Everton’s central defenders. Having picked up a yellow card for a furious reaction to a challenge from Jake O’Brien, who was also booked for the shoving match that followed, Delap clattered into Jarrad Branthwaite seconds later. The striker left Branthwaite in a heap with a collision to the chest but avoided the second yellow card that Goodison was baying for.
And then, out of nowhere, Enciso hauled the visitors back into the game with a goal of the season contender. The on-loan forward had squandered an easier chance two minutes earlier when cutting inside Patterson and James Garner only to drag his shot wide of the near post. The contrast with his next attempt on Jordan Pickford’s goal could not have been greater. Receiving the ball 30 yards out, Enciso cut across a tame challenge from Idrissa Gueye and unleashed a magnificent shot that curled away from Pickford and crashed in off the underside of the bar. The strike was so good that Evertonians applauded.
McKenna said: “It was a great goal but it probably doesn’t happen if the group stops believing and drop their heads. We didn’t give Everton too much after that and we were good value for a point.”
Everton controlled the second half without seriously testing Palmer, though Iliman Ndiaye and Beto were both close to connecting with McNeil deliveries. Moyes introduced the fit-again Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a bid to seal victory but, seconds later, Ipswich equalised from a rare foray into the Everton half. The sucker-punch was delivered by Delap’s replacement after Omari Hutchinson had beaten Gueye to the by-line and whipped in a cross that looped off the midfielder’s boot. Hirst rose behind a static O’Brien to convert a textbook header at the back post.
