Everton beat Southampton in emotional farewell to Goodison

LIVERPOOL: Everton said goodbye to Goodison Park in style with a 2-0 Premier League win over Southampton thanks to a double for Iliman Ndiaye on an emotional Sunday in Merseyside.

Home of the Toffees since 1892, Goodison will play host to Everton´s women from next season as the men move to a new 52,000 capacity stadium. Legends of Everton´s past, including former England captain Wayne Rooney, watched on impressed as Ndiaye produced two fine first-half finishes to ensure there was a happy ending for the home fans.

“I´m pleased for the result. I wanted to make sure we finished right,” said Everton manager David Moyes. The business on the pitch was a sideshow with already-relegated Saints providing the perfect opposition for a glorious goodbye.

Sun-kissed streets around the ground were covered in acrid blue smoke hours before the noon kick-off as thousands of Everton fans even without tickets made the pilgrimage for a final time.

The Toffees have not won a major trophy for the past 30 years. But Goodison was the scene of the club´s bygone glory years. Only four clubs have won more English top-flight titles than Everton´s nine.

There is hope that the move to a new state-of-the-art stadium in Liverpool´s docklands, allied to new ownership under the US-based Friedkin Group, can help restore good times on the field after seasons of battling relegation.

“The scenes outside the stadium were incredible. It is a club that is needing some big days, a big future. Let´s hope this is the start of it,” added Moyes. “If we can take what we had today to the new stadium, it will be something.”

Mired in financial troubles, Everton have had to fight for survival in recent seasons to maintain an unbroken 71-year stay among the elite. If there is to be a brighter future next season, Ndiaye is likely to be at the heart of it.

The 25-year-old Senegalese international has proved a much-needed spark in his debut season for a side lacking a potent striker. Southampton had frustrated Manchester City in a 0-0 draw last weekend to ensure they will not end the season as the worst side in Premier League history.