Everton did not perform as badly as the 3-0 scoreline suggests yesterday, but in the end were well-beaten by Brighton and Hove Albion.
Having enjoyed an admirable first half where the hosts were comfortably the better side, inexplicably, and rather predictably, they came in at the break 1-0 down.
7 Strangest Pre-Season Friendlies of All Time
7 Strangest Pre-Season Friendlies of All Time
Always chasing the game, an overturned penalty early in the second half marked the turning point, and then once the second was scored and Ashley Young was sent off, there was no coming back.
It was an exercise in damage limitation for Sean Dyche in the end, who got it horribly wrong with his substitutions once again.
However, there was one change he made in particular which marked the final straw for many at Goodison Park.
Goodison Park emptied as Brighton beat Everton
The Old Lady has not been afraid of telling the players and managers what they think after a poor performance, with booing after a shock or underwhelming loss becoming the unfortunate norm nowadays.
When this occurs and Everton are well-beaten, it normally coincides with an empty Goodison Park too.
Jordan Pickford of Everton looks dejected during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Goodison Park on …
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
However, on this particular occasion, the stadium remained largely full going into the latter stages of the match, likely because it was the first Premier League game back for a few months.
That all changed in the 85th minute though, when Mason Holgate was introduced to plug the glaring vacancy Young had left at full-back with his recklessness.
Only then, when the out-of-favour defender joined the field, did much of the stadium get up and go in one fell swoop, with some even booing the decision.
His substitute appearance was the final straw for many, made even more embarrassing given how desperate Everton are to sell Holgate.
Mason Holgate’s frosty reception
Holgate was not always a maligned figure on Merseyside; only five short years ago he was one of the club’s most important young players.
However, a loss of form and confidence has seen his trajectory plummet, and subsequent disaster loan spells at Sheffield United and Southampton have only seen his stock fall even more.
Seen as a red card waiting to happen, seldom in position and failing to distinguish himself as either a quality full-back or a centre-back, Evertonians have slowly begun hoping for his departure.
But, sitting on a long £70k-a-week contract, there was no reason for him to leave. Why would he?
So, like so many before him, he has sat and picked up his huge wage without offering anything to the club.
Mason Holgate of Everton during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Coventry City and Everton at The Coventry Building Society Arena on July 30, …
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
That was likely why his substitution was so poorly received.
It marked a damning indication of how little they really have progressed as a club, that a player that was not even good enough for a Championship Southampton side has now become an asset for Everton.
For his own good, Holgate must surely consider leaving now, after his own fans made it so clear how they felt about his potential presence on the pitch.
