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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

Carlo Ancelotti reacts to his Everton song as explicit VAR message sent

Pre-match appreciation

Everton were finally able to welcome supporters back to the stadium on Wednesday evening.

And what an occasion it was for everyone involved!

Supporters in some cases were taking to their seats early and met team news being read out an hour before kick off with a big cheer for every single name.

And they got their appreciation across to the players when they came out to warm up ahead of the match as well.

Jordan Pickford made a point of applauding all sides of the ground before starting his drills with both Robin Olsen and Joao Virginia, and the rest of the squad did the same shortly afterwards when their pre-match routine got underway.

It was all very good to see after five months without any fans in attendance at all.

Referee boos

Well, while the players might have enjoyed the return of supporters, the referee might not have.

The official was given a bit of stick throughout the game for multiple decisions that fans believed should have gone the way of Everton.

But they set the tone for what was to come right before the match even got underway at Goodison Park!

After both teams are read out over the speakers inside the stadium, the name of the referee is also announced - and that has been met with eerie silence over the past few months.

But this time the boos were back when Andy Madley's name was read, which prompted immediate laughter from those in their seats and even seemed to draw a wry smile from the official himself.

At least it was all taken in the right manner.

VAR outburst

We couldn't have gone 90 minutes without a VAR incident, could we?

In the second half, Wolves wanted a penalty when the ball seemed to strike the arm of Abdoulaye Doucoure as the Everton midfielder was looking to stop a cross going into the Blues box.

After a confusing pause initially, the dreaded message was eventually shown on the screen inside the stadium that VAR was checking for a potential spot kick for the visitors.

It was met with murmurings of discontent among most inside the stadium, apart from one individual who burst the relative silence with a shout of, "Oh f*** off!," towards the situation.

He couldn't have summed up the feeling around the current use of the technology better, really.

Ancelotti wave

It wasn't just the players that hugely appreciated supporters being back inside Goodison Park.

Carlo Ancelotti was as animated as ever on the touchline as he barked regular instructions to his players during a tight and hard-fought victory.

And the Evertonians inside the stadium took an opportunity in the second half to remind their manager of how much they appreciate him, with a loud rendition of his chant breaking up a quiet period of the match.

The boss acknowledged the song with a brief little wave to the Gwladys Street from his technical area, before giving a full sign of his appreciation when the squad and staff walked around the pitch at the end of the game.

Spurs celebration

As fans started to filter out of the stadium after a successful return to Goodison Park, news was slowly coming through from another important game in north London.

Aston Villa had taken all three points from their match against Tottenham Hotspur, meaning Ryan Mason's side had slipped up again going into the final match of the campaign this weekend.

However this news came through for some a lot quicker than it did for others.

One Everton fan could only find out the result from the Spurs match by coming up to the area in which the media were sat and asking, "Hey lads, how did Tottenham finish up?".

Upon hearing the news, he allowed a small fist pump and cracked a smile on his face, before heading down the exit and back home.

The hope for European football is clearly still there for some.

Or he just really doesn't like Tottenham, one or the other.

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