'For now at least' - National media cannot help but make contrast after Everton end on high

Everton’s players and supporters enjoyed a pressure-free farewell to Goodison Park for the first time in three years at home to Sheffield United.

The 1-0 win over the Blades, the club’s fifth in a row in L4, brought the curtain down on another extraordinary season at the Grand Old Lady. Only the trip to Arsenal next week now stands between Everton and their final campaign at their storied home.

That the players signed off with a victory and a lap of honour was a pleasant change from the nail-biting finales of recent years and this was a theme of most of the reports on the game.

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Andy Hunter, in The Guardian, led on the first lap of honour at the final home game of a campaign in five years, stating “Sean Dyche, players and fans alike all deserved their communal moment in the sun” on what was “a rare carefree afternoon for Everton”.

But he was not the only journalist to highlight that peril lies around the corner, quoting both Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell’s acknowledgements that players will need to be sold to deal with the financial concerns piling up at the club, most notably through the flailing bid of 777 Partners to complete its protracted takeover attempt. This formed the backdrop to a reference that Jarrad Branthwaite, who has enjoyed a superb breakthrough year, may have played his final game at Goodison in Royal Blue because he is, ultimately, the club’s “most saleable asset”.

The off-the-pitch uncertainty that will shape the club’s summer was a feature of most reports, though they also contrasted this match with the nerve-wracking final home games of the past two seasons, both of which the Blues needed to win to ensure survival.

In The Telegraph, Chris Bascombe wrote: “At least the season is finishing positively on the field under manager Sean Dyche. Since the beginning of April, only Arsenal and Manchester City have more points than Everton’s 17. While this was typical end-of-season fare, it did not bother fans who have had to endure relegation escapes in their final home fixture in the previous two campaigns. Victory took Everton to 40 points. Without being deducted eight points for financial breaches, the team would have been pushing for a top-half spot.”

Over on the BBC, Shamoon Hafez made reference to the excellent defensive form that has underpinned Everton’s progress, adding: “This was also their 13th clean sheet of the campaign, bettered only by title-chasing Arsenal, who the Blues face next Sunday with the opportunity of denying them the trophy should the race go that far.”

Meanwhile, Lewis Steele at the Daily Mail was another to point out the feel-good factor at a ground where a pressure-free game felt a rare treat. He said: “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 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.”

At the ECHO, we focused on the absence of any figures from 777 Partners following the latest developments in their takeover effort. Senior figures have been in regular attendance, both home and away, for much of the campaign. There was no presence from the group on Saturday.

The situation at the top of the club has added to the challenges faced this season, which makes the achievements of the team even more remarkable and the ECHO highlighted how the lap of honour was a fitting celebration for both the players and the fans who rallied in adversity: “That this famous institution is still standing and fighting is testament to the supporters and players who have rallied in the face of adversity. More challenges await over the summer but it will be a summer spent safe in the knowledge that Everton will enter the final season at Goodison Park where it should be - in the top flight. This side has not just stayed up, it has fired back at its critics and landed blows, most significantly by ending the title hopes of Liverpool with that famous win last month.”