I’m 22 on Sunday. So in my life time, I’ve never actually witnessed Everton taking three points at Old Trafford.
Okay yes, I was alive but I wouldn’t have known it existed.
Ever since I’ve watched Everton, I’ve accepted that going down the M62 to get beat was just something you had to do. Yep, take one on the chin there, never mind, go again next week.
There’d be times when we’d go in red hot form and you’d dare to think in the back of your mind, ‘Could we nick a point, a win maybe?’ but then we’d lose 3-0.
Our former manager who now patrols the Manchester United dugout described it as taking a knife to a gun fight.
Once or twice, Mr Moyes would slightly sharpen the knife, see 2012’s 4-4 draw but other than that, you just accepted that United beat Everton whenever we went there.
As soon as Wednesday came around though, I don’t know a single Evertonian who didn’t believe that would change.
When the fixtures came out in the summer, this was the one we all looked for – the day when we’d pass our ex in the street, the day Moyes and Everton reunited.
Roberto Martinez’s passion and positivity has been a refreshing change to the streets of L4, gone is the ‘that’s a good point away from home’ belief of Moyes. Now we play to win, which I knew we’d do anyway on Wednesday night.
Yet Moyes seemed intent on stoking the fire, making out like our positive start to the season was all his doing, giving no credit to his successor whatsoever as he sits in the world’s safest managerial chair under the wing of Sir Alex Ferguson.
I take no credit away from Moyes’ work with us, he bought the majority of our squad and I thank him for that, but when he left, we’d gone stale. Goodison, admit it or not, had fell out of love with him.
But Moyes chose to patronise and belittle the good work we’ve done since his now even more seemingly underhand move to United – unwittingly adding fuel to the fire.
From minute one, I hope he realised that he was finally going to see an Everton win at Manchester United because there was no way we were leaving without the three points.
I’m so glad too, that it was a player Moyes barely gave any playing time to, that scored the winner.
If it’d been Mirallas, he could have made some comment about how good he is, but for Bryan Oviedo to pop up in the place of Moyes’ most wanted Leighton Baines, and score the winner is even better.
I’ve finally got to see an Everton win at Old Trafford. I just hope I don’t have to wait until my 44th birthday for another.
