The final match at Goodison Park ended with Everton securing all three points against Southampton on Sunday, all but assuring the Toffees will finish no lower than 14th with just one match remaining on the season (Wolves, currently four points behind 13th-place Everton, have a game in hand).
All of the fanfare and circumstance surrounding the build-up to the match and the game itself were mostly driven by the ever-present Evertonians who support the club, but the post-match celebration allowed Everton players of today and years past to reflect on what the day meant to them.
Many notable current Toffees had comments about the match and what impact Goodison has had on them, from those who have been part of the club for many years to others who have just recently joined.
Here are what a few of the players had to say after the final whistle of Everton's 2-0 win over Southampton at Goodison.
Iliman Ndiaye
One of the newest Everton players outside of Charly Alcaraz, the Senegal international made his presence felt throughout his first season in Everton Blue and will go down as one of the club's best players for this campaign.
But it may be his entries into the final Goodison match that will keep him in Everton lore forever, as he'll be remembered as the man who scored both the first and last goals of the final match at Goodison Park.
After the match, the winger noted, "It is very special to score the last goal,” adding that he “asked the referee to get the ball. It means a lot and [he] wanted to score a hat-trick."
Of the atmosphere at Goodison on that day, Ndiaye mentioned that "Since the day [he] came, the fans have been great. The roar was amazing. It is an amazing day. They deserve it."
Jordan Pickford
The Everton (and England) no.1 took the captain's armband when Seamus Coleman was forced off early due to injury.
The goalkeeper said that Everton "needed a win. Ili scored two great goals," and continued that since "It’s the last game at Goodison Park and will take some time to soak in."
Pickford didn't have much to do in the first half, but came up with a few huge saves in the second to maintain the clean sheet, his 11th of the season, tied for second with Crystal Palace's Dean Henderson and behind only the 13 for Arsenal's David Raya and Nottingham Forest's Matz Sels.
Seamus Coleman
The club captain has had a difficult season, only appearing in five matches and completing 90 minutes just once, the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth at home on Matchday 3 (although he did play 89 minutes against Manchester City on Boxing Day).
So seeing Coleman get the start on Sunday felt appropriate, making it all the sadder when he had to leave in the 18th minute due to injury.
Still, even though David Moyes expects him back next year "[o]ne way or another," it was gutting to see Coleman be forced off the pitch, even if he did get a triumphant applause from the Everton faithful as he did so.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Speaking of players who have had difficult seasons, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is right up there with Coleman in terms of injury struggles, both for this season and over the last few.
But the England international was able to enter the match on Sunday late on, which could be his last time donning the Everton Blue shirt in front of a home crowd given all the turmoil surrounding his contract situation.
After the match, DCL took to social media, where he posted a photo of himself after the Crystal Palace win that secured safety for the Toffees in 2022, a game where he scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute, alongside an older photo of himself in his earlier years.
Included in his caption, the striker wrote this: "To be the last player to wear the 9 at Goodison after so many greats before me is something that I’ll forever cherish, a pleasure and a privilege. Memories that will last a lifetime, thank you Goodison Park."
David Moyes and others
Other players, including midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, who may have also played his last home match in an Everton shirt, were shown feeling the emotions of the moment as well.
And finally, manager David Moyes had this to say on the day: "I was worried today, everyone had been talking about this for so long. The scenes outside the stadium were incredible and it felt like a club which has needed some big days and some big things in the future, so let’s hope this is the start of it."