Everton were given a reality check in their 2-1 defeat to Luton Town.
Despite dominating chances, Sean Dyche’s side fell behind midway through the first half when Tom Lockyer bundled home from a half-cleared corner.
A second followed for the Premier League newcomers on the half-hour mark when Carlton Morris was allowed to side-foot home a free kick at the far post.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin halved the hosts’ deficit just moments before the interval by hooking the ball into the Park End net after a goalmouth scramble.
But the Blues suffered a fourth win-less home outing this season which leaves them languishing just one point outside the top flight’s relegation zone.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Dyche still taking two steps back
Fresh from two long-awaited victories on the road, plenty of Everton fans anticipated that upturn in form to translate into third, long-awaited home win.
Initial signs indicated that Luton would become the first victims of Goodison’s first win of the new campaign as the hosts racked up a hatful of chances.
But that confidence proved to be incredibly misplaced as Sean Dyche’s side proceeded to ship two goals in the space of just seven first-half minutes.
Both were entirely avoidable and arrived from set pieces; supposedly a bedrock of the Blues manager’s blueprint for keeping things tight at the back.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s scrappy reducer was little more than a false dawn as Luton’s goalkeeper was barely forced into a save after the half-time interval.
Last weekend’s win over Brentford and the Carabao Cup follow-up at Aston Villa proved to be false dawns as they again reverted to type on home soil.
Once more, Dyche has taken one step forward followed by a further two back.
777 given an early crash course
Hindsight suggests it was for the best that prospective new owners 777 Partners paid an maiden visit to Goodison to take in Saturday’s match.
The Miami-based group still have hurdles to overcome before acquiring full control of the club but they were given a crash course about what lies ahead.
Post-match, 777’s figurehead and co-founder Josh Wander exited the Grand Old Lady admitting his experience had been enjoyable “except the result”.
The 42-year-old saw at close quarters how quickly Evertonians’ passion can descend into white-hot fury when standards they demands are not adhered.
If Wander and co. believed that the Toffees can be run in the same way as other teams in their multi-club model, that illusion should now be shattered.
With all due respect to the six sides currently in 777’s stable, Everton are a wholly different prospect and one where shortcuts simply will not be tolerated.
Time will tell whether the Americans will take lessons from their fact-finding mission, or even ownership of the club, but they have received fair warning.
Blues’ front pairing a work in progress
Dyche had hinted at potentially deploying Calvert-Lewin and Beto in tandem.
Calvert-Lewin himself backed the idea in a belief that it would lead to the pair being able to ‘bully’ opposing defences in the Premier League and beyond.
An initial trial of that two-pronged attack during Saturday’s second half, however, suggested the partnership is likely to be a work in progress.
Beto’s 60th minute introduction for Abdoulaye Doucoure was a proactive move by Dyche as the striker attempted to bustle his way into the game.
Yet even with able assistance from Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma, the Portuguese marksman struggled for any meaningful impact in front of goal.
His best chance arrived in the form of a header which he fluffed from close range while Calvert-Lewin fared little better after scoring Everton’s only goal.
In theory, two up top should play to the one-time England striker’s strengths; having flourished as part of a 4-4-2 during Duncan Ferguson’s interim spell.
First impressions are not always lasting but little imagination is required to surmise which infamous double act Calvert-Lewin and Beto’s axis resembled.