Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth ensured that Saturday’s game was the last-ever cup tie at Goodison Park. Chris Beesley picks out some of the potential moments missed from the disappointing but historic occasion for Blues.

Shaking things up

Sometimes actions speak louder than words. A week earlier, Everton manager David Moyes was full of praise for Beto after his only fit striker bagged a brace in the 4-0 romp against Leicester City.

The Blues boss remarked: “I am really pleased for Beto. The people who have been here much longer than me will know more about him. I am just getting to know him and he is a great kid, he works hard in training and he is trying to improve himself.
“Sometimes in life you need an opportunity and he got one. His reception coming off the pitch was as good as we’ve heard here for a long time, so good credit to him that he stuck at it and he took his two goals well.”

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti all out injured, it seems Everton have got to take the rough with the smooth with Beto though – especially now the winter transfer window has slammed shut. The £25.8million frontman endured a difficult afternoon against Bournemouth and did not receive the kind of service he profited upon so emphatically against the Foxes.

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When Beto did get his most-inviting opportunity of the contest, shortly before the Cherries broke the deadlock, he took a wild swipe at the ball and scuffed his shot. In a messy passage of play that in truth was a comedy of errors from both sides, Everton then won a corner as a Bournemouth defender shanked the ball out of play with an unconvincing clearance.

Moyes seemingly couldn’t believe what he was seeing as the Scot shook his head on the touchline. For all his impressive start, the returning Blues boss still has much more work to do with this squad before the end of the season.

In the firing line

It wasn’t just the action on the pitch that might have prompted Moyes to shake his head, it seems that the Goodison Park dugouts were also a dangerous place during the ground’s final cup tie. At least the 61-year-old was on familiar ground and kept his footing unlike his Bournemouth counterpart Andoni Iraola.

The Basque boss made a classy post-match gesture about his love for the ‘Grand Old Lady’ but on what was a day there was little for Evertonians to cheer about, one of the heartiest roars from the home fans came with the Cherries gaffer took a tumble. Like the referee getting hit by the ball, it seems that laughing at an opponent falling over remains one of the enduring base instincts of football fans the world over and this was no different.

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Iraola’s slip wasn’t the only potential accident though as following a clearance upfield by Everton defender Jake O’Brien, Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen intercepted the ball and blasted it towards the home bench. The teenager did seem to offer an apologetic gesture in that direction though after Blues substitutes and staff presumably had to duck quickly.

Bournemouth fans rub it in

As we’ve already learned, football supporters of all persuasions have little sympathy for rivals and on what was their last-ever visit to Goodison Park, Bournemouth’s travelling supporters who had made the round tip of over 500 miles from Dorset were determined to enjoy themselves.

Despite playing at a ground that holds just 11,307 – making it smaller than Prenton Park (16,567), the home of the Blues’ Mersey minnow neighbours Tranmere Rovers who currently sit one place below the League Two relegation spots – and this being just their eighth season in the top flight, the 2-0 victory ensured they have now completed a hat-trick of wins over Everton this season.

Back on August 31, they inflicted one of the most chastening experiences ever on Goodison Park patrons as going into the 87th minute trailing by two goals, by still managed to beat the Blues 3-2. “Two-nil up and you f****d it up,” came the cry from the away end in the Bullens Road Stand.

Everton could have no response to that, either on or off the pitch. What they can hopefully do under Moyes though is silence the Cherries hordes’ other taunt.

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In what appeared to be an attempt to ‘geg in’ on the lexicon of south coast rivalry when it comes to Hampshire rivals, Portsmouth and Southampton, Bournemouth’s fans also chanted: “You’re going down with the scummers,” in reference to the Saints propping up the table. As painful as it might be, what this cup exit does do for Everton is make the Premier League their only focus now and after a trio of consecutive victories under Moyes, they currently have a nine-point cushion between themselves and the drop zone plus a far superior goal difference to those clubs in the bottom three.

It’s now imperative that they get the results in the next 14 fixtures, including the final seven at Goodison Park, to ensure they move into their new 52,888 capacity stadium – a venue over four-and-a-half times bigger than the Vitality Stadium – with their top flight status intact.

Snods gets the matchball

After all the misery, let’s finish on a light-hearted note. As a player, Ian Snodin conducted the serious business of being an Everton title-winner while also turning out in the 3-2 ‘Great Escape’ against Wimbledon but the affable Yorkshireman is always game for a laugh when you see him around Goodison Park.

As the assembled press pack waited in the media room for the arrival of both managers for their post-match press conferences, Everton club ambassador Snodin emerged with the matchball in his hand. When a reporter questioned what he was doing, Snods just quipped: “Donny v Reading, 7-5, I’ve got loads of them at home!”

The fixture in question, dubbed ‘The craziest game in Rovers’ history’ by the Doncaster Free Press really happened, on September 25, 1982. With his manager and mentor Billy Bremner watching on, a 19-year-old Snodin netted a hat-trick (which included a brace of penalties) to steer the hosts to victory in a 12-goal Third Division thriller watched by 3,118 at Belle Vue.