It was truly a spectacular night at Goodison Park on Thursday as Frank Lampard’s Everton confirmed their safety from relegation in the Premier League after a 3-2 win against Crystal Palace.
After going down 2-0 early in the first half, it looked to be a disappointing night in store for the Toffees. But the Goodison faithful lifted the players who responded immensely by coming back into the game to take the lead and take home the three points that will see them stay in the first division.
Throughout the final stretch of the crucial games in the month of May, the Everton fans inside Goodison played a huge role in aiding the team get the much-needed results.
This sense of community was once again put up for display following the full-time whistle on Thursday as Everton fans rushed onto the pitch in huge numbers to celebrate their safety.
As players and fans were celebrating the achievement together, Everton captain Seamus Coleman was too spotted embracing the spirit of community inside the Goodison as he was seen hugging former Toffees player Leighton Baines on the pitch.
Baines began his football career with Everton’s youth team and went on to represent the first team for thirteen years (348 appearances) after making his senior debut in 2007.
Following his retirement in 2020, the former left-back has continued his strong connection with the club and is currently both the interim Assistant Manager of Everton’s U-18 side and the Professional Development Coach for Everton’s academy. Thus, his presence at Goodison for the important match against Palace was not a random occurrence.
In the picture of Coleman and Baines, the right-back is seen almost in tears as he embraced his former teammate. The full-back pairing has marshalled the flanks for the Toffees together for almost a decade since Coleman arrived in 2009. Behind the two men, there is pandemonium in the background with fans celebrating wildly and blue flares being raised all over the pitch.
As the two former teammates shared this special moment in the middle of the grand celebrations, Everton too has found solace finally in the middle of a chaotic season that will surely be remembered by the Goodison faithful.
