And now, the end is near, and so we face, the final curtain.
The last ever Premier League game at Goodison Park.
So much has been written, spoken, and captured on video about this momentous and consequential event that it’s hard not to repeat a lot of the amazing statistics, the irreplaceable memories, the precious personal recollections, that will reach a climax after 12 noon on Sunday, when this final first-team game kicks off in earnest as we hope for a fitting send off.
The latests annoncement is that Gethin Jones and Tony Bellow will host the post-match spectale, with even better news that fans will be able to take alcoholic drinks to their seats for the first (and last!) time since 1985 — another horrible lasting 40-year stain of the shame brought on football and unjustly devastating our club history by the dispicable acts of fans from our close (soon to be less close) neighbours.
Even though there is a game to be played still, the focus will not be particularly on the football itself, but on everything about this ancient and dated cathedral of football.
But we will look to the pitch for the final time as David Moyes promises the “Biggest game of the season” — because they have to put a show on and play well. The 1878s supporters’ group, working in collaboration with Everton officials and local authorities, are planning a coach welcome as a fitting send-off for this momentous final home game.
The team have laid good ground work for it with a fine win at Fulham last week, where key goals from Michael Keane and Beto sealed the 3 points after Mykolenko’s deflected equalizer. Will Moyes adopt the same approach of keeping his powder dry until he is comfortable replacing his poorer quality players with those who have the skill but not necessarily the fitness to change the game late on?
In that case, McNeil and even Ndiaye could be held in reserve, while Beto is probaly best left on the field for the entire 90+ minutes just in case one of those rare moments occurs when his natural reaction produces a goal out of almost nothing.
The defence had been pretty solid until the loss to injury of James Tarkowski and more recently James O’Brien, but still there are limited opportunities being given to Nathan Patterson, whom many claim is simply not good enough at this level. Although Ashley Young seems to be a prefered choice, that may provide for more than just a late cameo from club captain and living legend, Seamus Coleman, to whom David Moyes must surely give a decent chunk of playing time in what could be a fitting end to his exceptional Everton career.
In midfield, Gana and Garner seem to be first choice players on Moyes’s teamsheet, while Charly Alcaraz and Iliman Ndiaye were actually on the field together for a brief 23-minute spell at Craven Cottage — during which the two winning goals were scored.
Live TV coverage for those who can’t be there starts at 11 am BST on TNT SPorts 1
Audio coverage from 10 am BST can be heard on BBC Radio Merseyside, via BBC Sounds
Kick-Off: 12 pm BST, Sunday 18 May 2025
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Assistants: James Mainwaring, Steve Meredith.
Fourth official: Craig Pawson.
Video Assistant Referee: Timothy Wood.
Assistant VAR: Thomas Bramall.