Not even the added influence of Duncan Ferguson could help this time.
Unfortunately for Evertonians, this was a story that they have seen on far too many occasions this season. There was a different man in the dugout, but the outcome was still the same.
Of course there was the effect that many expected to see from the side. They were full of energy, guile, endeavour - everything that the caretaker boss will have been drilling into them in training.
Perhaps in the opening stages, they had too much of it and not enough composure. And as the match went on, the hosts never really found the kind of quality they would need to win.
It was lost in the first half, right before the interval in fact. A set piece was again the downfall as former man Lucas Digne came back to haunt Everton, picking out Emiliano Buendia at the front post to flick a header into the far corner.
A few days of work from Ferguson on the training pitch couldn't help that particular Achilles heel.
But even before that decisive moment, the visitors were the side on the front foot in terms of possession and the way they were using the ball.
Much of that came down to the midfield battle once again, which Evertonians are sick of seeing their side lose.
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The caretaker boss, in a move that really didn't surprise many people, opted for a 4-4-2 formation, with the combative pair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison filling the spaces up front.
That formation worked the last time Ferguson took the reins, but it never looked like being the case this time around.
A certain section of Everton supporters have been making the point over the last few weeks and months that their side is in desperate need of more bodies in the midfield.
In simple terms, Everton do not have the profile of players to effectively use two in that area of the pitch - and they are constantly being punished for it.
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Particularly in the first half of this game, Jacob Ramsey had the running of Goodison Park whenever he picked up the ball, often finding himself in five or even ten yards of space.
John McGinn and Douglas Luiz had similar experiences before the break, hardly being knocked off their stride as they were able to out-number and out-class their opponents in an important area of the pitch.
It would be unfair to suggest that this display didn't show some levels of improvement from that system, of course it did.
Richarlison dropping back on occasion from the second striker position did help somewhat. Abdoulaye Doucoure was combative particularly in the opening stages.
But a systemic problem such as that is too tricky to overcome on a regular basis through just individual displays.
Everton needed the injection of passion that Ferguson brings to the side- and there's no question that his words definitely had an effect.
But, realistically, they also needed some more tactical changes on top of that - and unfortunately they were not forthcoming.
