What Everton fans did after Manchester United win spoke volumes as secret weapon clear

If Everton are to survive then Goodison Park is key.

That has been the mantra, muttered through sleepless nights, throughout the eternity since Alex Iwobi’s stoppage-time winner against Newcastle last month. But once again the home crowd gave credence to the claim as they roared the Blues on to another memorable victory over a Manchester United side that crumbled on Merseyside.

There was a fear a Saturday lunchtime kick-off was the worst timing for the latest so-called cup final for a club with painfully few cup final appearances over recent decades. It was thought this was a game best-suited to being played under the lights - the conditions in which Everton put up such a courageous performance against Manchester City before being thwarted by awful officiating.

Yet as Goodison basked in spring sunshine almost 40,000 Blues turned up and gave it their all. The effect was obvious.

In a game between two sides who, for too long, have been lesser than the sum of their multi-million pound parts, the crowd urged Everton over the finishing line. Hungry for a performance to offer hope of better things to come, they put aside their anxiety and spurred on those in blue, while snarling and intimidating a rival set of players whose fragility this season has been as obvious as Everton’s.

Much of the talk before the game was of the importance of the first goal. For 25 minutes it was not clear which way that would go.

After a bright start Everton resorted to recent type. The nerves and anxiety began to creep in as Man Utd controlled the ball. Yet for all the talent in red, the biggest threat came from that most familiar source - individual errors.

Twice Jordan Pickford made important saves as Everton conceded possession cheaply in