Everton failed to rack up back-to-back wins against Manchester United.
The visitors broke the deadlock inside two minutes when Alejandro Garnacho produced a sublime overhead kick to meet Diogo Dalot’s cross from the right.
A difficult game worsened for the Blues after Ashley Young tripped Anthony Martial in the penalty area, allowing Marcus Rashford to double the lead.
Martial would compound the misery for Sean Dyche’s side in the final quarter of an hour with a simple finish past Jordan Pickford and into the Park End net.
Five points now separate Everton from Premier League safety following their 10-point deduction in the international break for financial fair play breaches.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Evertonians make their voice heard
Whenever Goodison is at its most ferocious, few teams relish playing here.
Evertonians had added motivation to make their humble abode as menacing as possible against Manchester United in light of a record 10-point deduction.
Fans arrived at the Grand Old Lady armed with a burning sense of injustice after Sean Dyche’s side saw their early-season progress immediately undone.
From the second the teams emerged from the tunnel, ear-splitting boos rang out which only intensified when the Premier League’s anthem was played.
Accompanying that soundtrack was 38,000 placards that transformed Goodison from its usual hue to an unprecedented sea of florescent pink.
No one connected to Everton has taken their landmark sanction lying down but supporters ensured that their voices were heard on Sunday afternoon.
Had Alejandro Garnacho not produced a sublime bicycle kick early on, they would have certainly rallied the hosts to an outcome other than the final one.
Profligacy returns to haunt the Blues
Garnacho’s wonder strike may have knocked the stuffing out of Goodison yet there was no denying that Everton had continued to knock on United’s door.
Dyche’s players will have headed in at the half-time interval wondering just how they had not pulled level despite amassing a double-figure shot tally.
Four of those 10 were on target and, in truth, it should have been more had Abdoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye not fluffed their respective lines.
There was also the small matter of a goal-line clearance as Dwight McNeil advanced on the rebound from Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s parried effort.
A further 14 attempts were fired Andre Onana’s way in the second half but only two registered as accurate as the game ebbed away from Everton.
Although the eventual 3-0 score line flattered the visitors, Dyche can have no complaints about his side being punished for their profligacy in another home outing.
Dyche’s Achilles heel flares up again
Post-match, Dyche rightly pointed to Everton’s progress in chance creation.
He did, however, fail to acknowledge the overriding petard by which his team were once more, and predictably, hoisted by their Old Trafford counterparts.
Persisting with Ashley Young at right-back is fast becoming the Everton manager’s Achilles’ heel as he conceded a needless second-half penalty.
An extensive VAR review notwithstanding, the 38-year-old can have few complaints about being penalised for a clumsy foul on Anthony Martial.
Come what may, Dyche perseveres with a player whose path first crossed with his when they were at opposing ends of the career spectrum at Watford.
But the evidence is now overwhelming; Young is far from the unflappable veteran that saw him touted as a invaluable addition to the Goodison ranks.
Instead, he is an increasing liability who was fortunate not to pick up a second red card of the season after being booked earlier in the first half.
Given Dyche’s propensity to defer to the knowledge of match-going Everton fans on certain subjects, he might do well to consult them about Young, too.