HOW do you fit 133 years of history into one day? It’s handy that, at stadiums like Goodison Park, that history is ever-present.

From its role as one of the grounds used at the 1966 World Cup to its main function as Everton’s home for over a century, what happened here can still be felt, which is one of the many reasons it’s sad that Everton are leaving.

Everton’s women’s team will continue the legacy as it will now become their home, but today was the end of an era for the men’s team, who will move into the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock this summer.

Everton supporters were encouraged to line the streets around Goodison Park ahead of kick-off to welcome the team bus, but little encouragement was needed.

Fans were out early, and pubs around the ground were filling from 8am for this midday kickoff. There was a party atmosphere for hours before the game.

Surrounding streets were decked out in flags and personal memories, 

So many fans turned up that the Everton bus was unable to get through the originally planned route and had to take a diversion.

It was reminiscent of the scenes when Everton were fighting relegation a few years back when fans turned out in their numbers to keep the team in the Premier League, with blue smoke and fireworks filling the air.

The turnout this time was much larger, and the feeling around this particular occasion was one of celebration.

Everton have seen an upturn in fortunes on the pitch under the returning manager, David Moyes, who deserves credit for the fact that there is no relegation worry this time around, and the sendoff was relatively worry-free. 

Fittingly, Moyes gave the captain’s armband for this game to one of his signings from his original stint at the club, Seamus Coleman.

On such a monumental day, how could the players match such scenes? Luckily, Everton have a player capable of living up to such moments — Iliman Ndiaye.

Ndiaye made sure the pre-match festivities continued immediately into the game itself with a silky bit of play on the edge of the penalty area, jinking into space as he does, and curling a left-footed shot around Nathan Wood past Aaron Ramsdale into the corner.

If Everton fans were worried the result might not match the occasion, they needn’t have been.

Beto was a constant threat to the Southampton defence, riding challenges and posing a goal threat, finding the net twice but seeing both disallowed for offside.

Ndiaye scored his second shortly before the halftime whistle, cooly taking the ball past Ramsdale before slotting home at the Park End. 

The first song played over the PA at halftime was The Jam’s classic, “That’s Entertainment”. Indeed.

Amid memories of bygone eras, in their own ways, both Ndiaye and Beto are throwbacks. 

In a modern era of false nines, inverted wingers, and withdrawn strikers, Beto is as much of a traditional, out-and-out centre-forward as you can get. A target-man striker who, although he wears No. 14, is a classic No. 9.

Ndiaye, meanwhile, is a free spirit of a player, complementing Beto well and offering a different kind of outlet.

The Senegalese received a standing ovation when he was subbed in the 75th minute, encouraging the crowd to raise the volume as he was replaced by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The 2,789th and final Everton game at Goodison Park ended in a win for the home side. It had to, despite them not having won here since February 1st.

Celebrations continued after the final whistle with video messages from former players and key figures within the game relayed on the big screen, live music on the pitch, and appearances from Everton greats. 

As a solo violinist played the Z Cars theme, fans eventually joined in in an emotional moment, and the festivities and the goodbyes continued long into the afternoon and evening inside and outside the stadium.