A defiant rendition of Spirit of the Blues from the 3,003 Evertonians that packed out the away end at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium said everything you need to know.
A controversial goal may have seen the Blues condemned to a 2-1 defeat late on in north London, ending the Club’s five-game unbeaten run but, after the natural disappointment of conceding in the closing stages, attentions amongst those travelling supporters turned to showing their appreciation for the players who had stood up to an unprecedented campaign to muster a 15th-placed finish after two separate points deductions.
Idrissa Gana Gueye’s deflected free-kick had given the Toffees a first-half lead, an advantage that was quickly cancelled out by Takehiro Tomiyasu’s strike.
After a lengthy VAR referral, the title-chasing Gunners were eventually awarded an 89th-minute winner with Kai Havertz’s close-range effort.
Everton’s season objective may have been achieved at the end of last month but there had been no sign of winding down from Dyche or his side in the build-up to this finale. The Blues boss picked another strong line-up here - the same, in fact, as the one that started the 1-0 home win over Sheffield United last time out.
Speaking in his pre-match interview, Dyche called on his players to earn “our own badge of honour” with a match-winning display at the home of the Gunners, who headed into the clash knowing they needed to better Manchester City’s result against West Ham United to snatch the Premier League title on the finish line.
The hosts, as you’d expect from a side chasing down a first league crown in 20 years, came flying out of the blocks and dominated possession in the opening exchanges. The first sight of goal looked to have fallen to Tomiyasu less than three minutes in, only for Gana to intervene with an excellent interception before the defender could get his shot away.
Tomiyasu was presented with an even better chance moments later when, following a short corner routine, Declan Rice found the Japan international with an inch-perfect deep cross but the resulting header sailed harmlessly wide of the target and replays suggested he may have been in an offside position anyway.
The intensity of the atmosphere inside the stadium was then dampened dramatically as news filtered through that Phil Foden had given Pep Guardiola’s City side an early lead against the Hammers.
Everton - playing in all royal blue - manufactured their first opportunity soon after as Dwight McNeil forced a corner but, after the first delivery was cleared by Arsenal, James Tarkowski was flagged for offside on the follow-up cross.
Arsenal threatened again when Gabriel Martinelli burst down the right flank before forcing Jordan Pickford into action with an excellent low save from a prodded effort. Captain Seamus Coleman was alert to the resulting danger and mopped up the rebound with the Arsenal attacker lurking to convert.
Calvert-Lewin smashed a 20-yard free-kick into an Arsenal wall as news of Foden’s second strike of the afternoon to put City into a 2-0 lead further dampened the Gunners’ spirits.
Just as Dyche had promised, Everton were anything but passive opponents and the away end were enjoying several solid spells of possession, celebrating each pass with chants of ‘Olé’.
Just after the half-hour mark, the Toffees went closest yet to breaking the deadlock, as Amadou Onana’s first-time pass sprung a counter-attack. Idrissa Gana Gueye carried the ball into Arsenal territory before picking out Calvert-Lewin, who squared up Gabriel and tried to catch out David Raya with a near post shot that cannoned back off the frame of the goal. Everton’s No.9 was first to the rebound but couldn't rearrange his feet quickly enough to direct his follow-up attempt on target.
A surging Dwight McNeil run earned Everton another free-kick in a dangerous position six minutes before the half-time interval - a set piece that would bring the game’s opening goal.
Gana - an unlikely free-kick taker, in truth - stepped up and his curling effort took a heavy deflection off Declan Rice in the wall, wrong-footing Raya and leaving the Spanish goalkeeper helpless as the ball nestled into the corner of the net.
It was a lead that wouldn’t last long, though.
Just four minutes later, Mikel Arteta’s side restored parity when Tomiyasu swept home Martin Ødegaard’s cut-back from the right byline, and those home celebrations were prolonged with the discovery that West Ham United had halved the deficit in Manchester.
The second period began in a lower gear than the first half had ended.
It took nearly 20 minutes for the first chance of note to be fashioned and when it came, it was created by Dyche’s side. Gana, once again instrumental in the heart of the Blues’ midfield, began another counter-attack and found Calvert-Lewin in the left channel, with the Everton striker drifting in field on to his favoured right foot and testing Raya with a firmly-hit drive that was well held.
Arsenal responded by striking the woodwork at the other end - Havertz stretching to meet Martinelli’s left-footed cross from the right flank with an improvised header before captain Odegaard was flagged offside on the follow-up.
The hosts went close again minutes later after an incisive move down the left was eventually worked to a well-placed Odegaard, who set himself before striking for goal, only to be denied by an excellent low stop from Pickford.
Arsenal struck the frame of the goal again when another Martinelli cross found Emile Smith Rowe, but the substitute drove his shot into the turf before clipping the crossbar on the way out of play for a goal kick.
Arsenal eventually snatched a winner in the closing moments when Gabriel Jesus seized on a loose square pass from Ashley Young. Havertz eventually applied the finishing touch from close range and, following a VAR review, the goal was awarded despite replays suggesting it had struck Jesus’ hand in the build-up.
That would be the final action at the end of an unprecedented Premier League campaign that ultimately saw the Blues amass 48 points, before deductions.
