Everton rounded off their pre-season campaign in a 1-1 draw with Roma.
The visitors broke the deadlock late in the first half on Saturday when Lorenzo Pellegrini slotted past Jordan Pickford from Matias Soule’s long diagonal.
But Sean Dyche’s side struck back after the interval through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s tidy finish in their final outing before the new Premier League season.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Ndiaye gets Goodison excited
Pre-season outings are rarely a reliable barometer of a player’s quality. Iliman Ndiaye, however, may be an exception after his latest Everton appearance.
The Marseille forward arrived with a reputation as a potential ‘seat clicker’; someone who would have fans up on their feet in the spur of a moment.
Goodison Park’s thrill-seekers were provided an early taste of what Ndiaye will bring to the table in that respect during a catalytic second-half cameo.
His introduction in place of Dwight McNeil lit a spark in the hosts just two minutes after Dominic Calvert-Lewin produced their well-taken leveller.
Ndiaye’s best opening saw him pirouette on the ball before unleashing a low drive from outside the area which had Mile Svilar scrambling across his line.
Repeating the trick when the cut and thrust of the Premier League returns from next weekend will be the real litmus test for him in a royal blue shirt.
Still, the early indications were enough to get the 31,324 inside the Grand Old Lady excited about the potential he will bring to their team’s attacking options.
A new No.10 in the making?
Sean Dyche’s penchant for wingers shows no signs of letting up, with Ndiaye’s fellow summer recruit Jesper Lindstrom also being given minutes.
Yet another member of the recent widemen intake could have a future in a more central role if the Everton manager’s tactical shift was anything to go by.
Jack Harrison’s first-half showreel was underwhelming to say the least, with snatched shots from distance finding their way into the Park End Stand.
His output following Ndiaye and Lindstrom’s substitutions, however, were far more proficient against the Giallorossi once deployed in the No.10 position.
The Leeds United loanee may not have claimed any goals or assists, as he did in last season’s final weeks, but offered a perfect foil for Calvert-Lewin.
Options have not always been forthcoming in the advanced playmaker role, under Dyche or his predecessors, but Harrison might be one in the making.
The first of many ‘lasts’
As a pioneer of English football, Everton have often been a club of ‘firsts’.
But Roma’s visit marked the first of many ‘lasts’ that will confront them over the coming nine months as the opening game of Goodison’s final season.
A final friendly is unlikely to rank high on a list of occasions to savour, typified by a fractional attendance mark-up on last year’s meeting with Sporting Lisbon.
The famous old ground will witness more prestige fixtures between now and next May, when the curtain finally comes down on 133 years of history.
Chief among them will be next weekend’s Premier League opener with Brighton, the Merseyside derby and, of course, a last dance against Southampton.
Evertonians, however, will be preparing to commit every second they spend inside the Old Lady to memory before the move to Bramley-Moore Dock.
Whatever happens on the pitch, this coming season will be one to remember.