THE DRINKS were on Duncan Ferguson before the game.
Then it all tuned flat for him and those who enjoyed his largesse before the disgusting bottle barrage that felled Lucas Digne and Matty Cash turned everything sour for Big Dunc and Everton.
Before he got to the ground for the first fixture of his second spell as caretaker manager Ferguson dropped into two local hostelries.
At The Brick pub and the Winslow Inn, both popular watering holes for Evertonians, he left money behind the bar for fans to enjoy a pint.
Sadly, shamefully, the gesture turned into bitter irony as missiles were thrown in the aftermath of the header by Emi Buendia that decided the game.
Ferguson had hoped that just like in December 2019 when he won one and drew three of the four games he temporarily bossed the players would be inspired by the kind of call to arms that typified him as a player.
It didn’t work.
Why, even the much – anticipated touchline meeting with Steven Gerrard was underwhelming.
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Ferguson sought out the former Liverpool skipper who he had played against 10 times just before kick-off.
The pair shook hands, but the meeting was as cold as ice. It never got any warmer.
Having become a Rafa-free zone Goodison was in raucous mode, plenty of the home support sporting scarves with Ferguson’s name on them.
But after all the noise surrounding the giant Scot’s second stint as caretaker manager, reality soon began to bite.
For all the romance of Ferguson’s return to the coaching zone, he took over a side that under Benitez had taken only six points from the previous 13 games.
The Spaniard got all the blame for the nightmare run that dropped them towards the relegation zone but his former coach also pointed the finger at the players’ own failings.
Abdoulaye Doucoure may have shown the brave heart spirit that Ferguson demanded before Villa’s visit.
He tore the shirt off Jacob Ramsey in a fierce 12th minute challenge but sooner after Jordan Pickford was starting to get busy.
The England goalkeeper had to get down fast to push away a shot from Buendia and the script of the first-half was set in that moment.
Doucoure did rob Digne, making his debut after being painted by Benitez as a Blues bad boy before his £25million move to Villa.
But the midfielder’s breakaway faded just like the atmosphere already had – his pass for the on-rushing Richarlison too long allowing Emi Martinez to sweep up.
In fact there was very little new about the Toffees even if Ferguson made five changes from the side that lost 2-1 at Norwich – that defeat sparking the near-instant dismissal of Benitez.
TOFFEES' PROBLEMS REMAINED
Michael Keane, Anthony Gordon, Salomon Rondon, and skipper Seamus Coleman were dumped on the bench.
Mason Holgate, Yerry Mina, Andros Townsend, Richarlison and Jonjoe Kenny replaced them.
But the problems remained the same.
Gerrard’s side, with his former Anfield team mate Philippe Coutinho starting for the first time since arriving on loan from Barcelona, were neat, confident and decisive in midfield.
Everton were a first work in progress for Ferguson while a back four featuring three changes from the Carrow Road defeat was anything but convincing in front of Pickford.
Mina, given the armband with Coleman amongst the subs, sent a shaky header over the advancing Pickford, the man in green able to retrieve that dodgy situation.
The central defender was then caught in no man’s land by a ball over his own head that found Oliie Watkins.
His first touch was brilliant but he stabbed wide as Pickford piled out.
The Villa striker then looked on stunned as the goalkeeper somehow managed to force away his point-blank header.
Had a flag not gone up, Pickford could rightfully have claimed the save of the season.
He then pushed a Coutinho header over but two minutes into time added on he was finally left helpless.
DON'T LUC NOW
Digne swung over a corner from the left and Buendia spun away from his markers to deliver a brilliant looping header.
The goal was coming. It was well deserved and Gerrard, as he did so often on his Merseyside derby visits as a player, celebrated his first return as a manager with a shake of the fists.
Ferguson rubbed his face with his.
Meanwhile mayhem had descended as the Villa players enjoyed their moment near where Digne had taken his corner.
The Frenchman and Matty Cash were hit by the plastic bottle fusillade that rained downed on both of them, a red plastic lighter also thrown onto the pitch.
Public address warnings on crowd behaviour followed those shameful scenes.
But the damage, in more ways than one had been done.
Ferguson had to alter his line, Allan took over from Andre Gomes whose lack of mobility was exposed by the opponents around him.
Home-grown winger Gordon went on for Townsend who, like those around him, had failed to inspire one shot on target in the first half.
The changes created better forward momentum.
And but for a desperate block on the goal line Ferguson might have been joyfully throwing one of the ball boys around – as he did after two goals against Chelsea in a 3 – 1 win when last in charge.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin forced a header across the box and Ben Godfrey connected.
But Tyrone Mings stood strong.
Everton, just like before under Benitez, continue to drop and the same old boos again rang round the scene of the crime.
Many home fans remained at the end, some hoisting a banner demanding that chairman Bill Kenwright should go.
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Just as six managers already have under the increasingly disastrous reign of majority owner Farhad Moshiri.
Cash said after the game: "Crazy. It hit me straight in the head as well.
"It's not nice having that but three points so I'll take it."
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