Five greatest Premier League moments: Everton
Everton are one of the Premier League’s regulars and have not been relegated from the top flight of English football since 1951, meaning they have enjoyed plenty of highs in the last 25 years.
Here we pick out their five greatest Premier League moments, including a couple of fine goals, a derby win and a relegation scrap.
Back from the brink
Everton were on the brink in 1994. A disastrous season had them nervously perched on the verge of relegation, and it looked a near-certainly they would succumb.
And when Wimbledon went 2-0 up inside 20 minutes at Goodison Park on the final day of the season – it appeared their goose was cooked.
But Graham Stuart revived hope with a penalty before Barry Horne smashed home a spectacular equaliser from 25 yards.
And nine minutes from time Stuart popped up to fire in a second from 20 yards, keeping Everton up and sending Sheffield United, Oldham and Swindon down.
‘Remember the name Wayne Rooney’
Wayne Rooney may have only spent two years at Everton before joining Manchester United but the striker made the biggest impact on English football for a generation at Goodison Park.
David Moyes, a young and hungry manager desperately trying to push the club forward following a relegation scrap the previous season, handed the-then 16-year-old a chance. And from that day on, Rooney’s life was never the same.
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images.
With a home game with Arsenal poised at 1-1, it was the defending champions surging forwards searching for a winner but when Thomas Gravesen hooked the ball skywards in the vague direction of the Arsenal box few could have envisaged what was about to happen.
Rooney took the ball out of the sky beautifully, turning into space, before he curled an unstoppable strike past David Seaman and in off the cross-bar from 25 yards.
Rooney may not have had the Everton career many wanted him to, but on that day he gave Everton fans plenty of hope and joy and a peak at what was about to come.
Six of the best keep Everton alive
West Ham trudged up to Goodison Park safe in the top six of the Premier League table at the beginning of May 1999, but Everton were in desperate need of victory to ensure their Premier League survival.
A disappointing season left the Toffees deep in trouble, with goals a major problem, but they cut loose against the Hammers and secured safety in style.
It was the type of performance Everton fans had been waiting all season for, as they finally discovered the swagger and confidence that had been missing all season.
Michael Ball got them rolling from the penalty spot mid-way through the first half, before Don Hutchison add to the tally before the break.
Everton fans felt confident they were finally going to secure survival, but not even they envisaged a second-half hat-trick from Kevin Campbell and a sixth from Francis Jeffers before the close.
It was a miserable season, but with a sweet finale.
Demolition derby
There is nothing quite like beating your rivals, and the Merseyside Derby is perhaps the most hotly-contested pair of games all season.
But thrashing them in front of your own fans after years of hurt? Now that takes some topping.
Everton arrived at Goodison Park in September 2006 enjoying one of their best starts to a season in decades, and the home supporters sensed something special was on the cards.
Tim Cahill put them ahead from close-range in the 23rd-minute, before Andrew Johnson took full advantage of a Jamie Carragher error.
But the best moment for a Blues fan was seeing keeper Pepe Reina flapping at a long-range Lee Carsley shot, allowing Johnson to nod in a third.
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It was the first time Everton put three past their rivals in a league game since 1966.
Everton book a European tour
Cracking the mystical top four has long been Everton’s aim but they have unfortunately spent much of the past ten years with their faces pressed against the glass on the outside looking in.
And to make it worse Liverpool are regular Champions League participants, at least by comparison, while the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham have motored past.
But Everton have reached the promise land once before, finishing fourth in 2004-05.
David Moyes, having been installed just three years before, had transformed the club from relegation scrappers to top four heavyweights.
And they all-but booked that spot with a 2-0 win at home to Newcastle through goals from David Weir and Tim Cahill.
Liverpool, their nearest challengers, needed to beat Arsenal to keep the fight alive – but a 3-1 defeat at Highbury handed their great rivals a precious top four finish.
