Everton 1-0 Sheff Utd: Three talking points

Everton rounded off their home campaign with a win over Sheffield United.

Abdoulaye Doucoure broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark by heading into an empty net after Dominic Calvert-Lewin had drawn Wes Foderingham.

Despite the visitors’ renewed ascendancy after the interval, Sean Dyche’s side held on to rack up their fifth straight home win of the 2023/24 season.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

DCL finally back to his best

A non-event with Sheffield United offered a showcase of Everton’s leading lights.

Jordan Pickford took the plaudits for a joint club-record 13th clean sheet but it was Dominic Calvert-Lewin who assumed centre-stage against his former employers.

The England striker endured a fair share of struggles in recent years but now appears to be reaching something close to peak form in his Goodison Park career.

Facing his former club, Calvert-Lewin continued his recent vein of form by proving a menace to the Blades’ backline throughout a first half where he teed up the opener.

Abdoulaye Doucoure could not have asked for an easier finish as he nodded home the game’s only goal from his teammate drawing Wes Foderingham at the byline.

Calvert-Lewin proved such a thorn in the visitors’ side in the opening 45 minutes that it sparked a forceful off-the-ball shove from Jack Robinson that saw tempers flare.

Both players were booked, Everton’s felled no.9 inexplicably, but it failed to dampen his contribution on an otheriwse comfortable afternoon for Sean Dyche’s side.

A standing ovation as he made way for Youssef Chermiti in the 79th minute was no less than the unrelenting efforts of a fit and fired-up Calvert-Lewin deserved.

No-show hints at takeover twist

The biggest development of Everton’s final home game at the end of another difficult campaign was not at the heart of the action but rather in the stands.

777 Partners have maintained a semi-regular presence at the club’s games since agreeing a deal for Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% shareholding in September.

But representatives from the Miami-based investment firm were conspicuous by their absence in the Goodison directors’ box for this season’s curtain call.

This, despite them reportedly providing a fresh tranche of working capital of £8 million earlier on Saturday, taking their contributions to over £210M.

It has been something of an open secret that 777’s financial affairs are not, at the time of writing, in any fit state to finally assume ownership of the Blues.

Possibly, the Americans had more pressing matters elsewhere after Standard Liege’s game with Westerlo on Friday was called off amid growing fan unrest.

Still, given the group’s willingness to take up the offer of hospitality on visits to L4, their no-show hinted at a summer of twists and turns in the takeover saga.

Early farewells on Goodison lap?

When Everton’s players returned to the pitch for their first lap of appreciation since 2019, many fans were left wondering what happens next.

Goodison’s penultimate season finale was always going to be somewhat emotional, with the countdown to Bramley-Moore Dock firmly underway.

The next 12 months promise to be even more poignant but there was a feeling that some players were already saying their own fond farewells.

Beyond those already set to be free agents including, as it stands, Andre Gomes, Ashley Young and Idrissa Gueye, others could soon be departing.

Director of football Kevin Thelwell has already cautioned Evertonians to brace themselves for exits with little imagination required on likely candidates.

Jarrad Branthwaite threatens to be the main casualty, with several Premier League rivals circling, while Amadou Onana is also tipped for a move away.

Unfortunately the pair’s potential departures is symptomatic of the abject fashion in which the club has been run over a considerable number of years.