For Everton and their fans, last night marked a damning culmination of years of failure.
And what’s worse, there is seemingly no end in sight.
There is an immense lack of quality within this squad, but that much has been abundantly clear for some time now. However, what had not been obvious was the absence of effort, of which their loss to Chelsea exhibited painfully so.
The players just gave up, and allowed the hosts to play around them like they weren’t even there.
An embarrassing display which deserves to be lambasted, few can defend this squad anymore.
Mauricio Pochettino assesses Everton
Everton were terrible last night. That is a notion that few would argue against.
Without any talent or desire to take the game to Chelsea, their passive setup allowed the hosts to run riot, rushing into a 4-0 half-time lead and finishing their rout with a further two second-half strikes.
It is arguably the most embarrassing night of the club’s season, and could now prove detrimental not only due to the mental impact it might have but also because of the injuries suffered.
And yet, speaking to Chelsea’s official website after the game, Mauricio Pochettino remained strangely complimentary of the Toffees in his post-match assessment.
He noted: ‘It [the clean sheet] is so important against a team that produces a lot and is very dangerous in offensive situations and set-pieces. Today the team was fantastic. We showed good spirit from the beginning which makes us very pleased.’
Everton did everything wrong against Chelsea
From the manager down to the players, to the awol owner who watched on from the stands, everyone was in some way to blame for last night’s disaster.
After all, it was a truly abhorrent showing, in which the tactical setup was wrong, the players seeking to implement it lost faith and interest quickly, and Farhad Moshiri was forced to oversee what years of his misguided ownership has done to this football club.
Were it not for the two points deductions amassed this season, last night’s match would not have held much significance at all.
It would have been just another trip to Stamford Bridge, with little pressure because they would already be safe.
However, due to years of financial misconduct, this has been the campaign where punishments have emerged, and now every match feels like a nervy cup final where fans are well aware of the need for wins.
Such anxiety almost always translates down onto the pitch too, but there are simply no excuses for that performance, which lacked fight, desire and quality.
Nobody left West London covered in any glory. Such a disgusting display cannot be allowed to happen again, especially not this season with such a key run-in filled with fixtures against those around them in the relegation fight.