Everton proved Gary Neville wrong after shocking the…

Everton proved Gary Neville wrong after shocking the 'living daylights' out of him

After fingernails were chewed, nerves shredded and prayers uttered, Everton secured their place in next season’s Premier League with a win over Bournemouth last weekend.

For the second successive season, the Blues narrowly avoided relegation from the top-flight to the Sky Bet Championship after a torrid campaign. But thankfully, the season ended well, but only just.

Abdoulaye Doucoure's fine strike against Gary O’Neil’s side secured the Blues the three points they needed to survive. Leeds United and Leicester City were both relegated as a result of Everton’s win.

However, for large parts of the second-half of the campaign, it looked as though the Blues would be playing their football in the second-tier next season. Following a 4-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United at the end of April, Sean Dyche’s side were second from bottom with five games left to play.

It was a deeply chastening defeat for Everton, and it was no surprise that questions were asked about whether they had the quality to remain in the Premier League. The manner of their second-half collapse was also a major concern.

Following the defeat at Goodison, the prospect of the Blues and Newcastle even rubbing shoulders next season appeared increasingly in the balance, while in some quarters Everton’s Premier League obituary was already being written.

Less than 24 hours after the game on Merseyside, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville filmed the latest episode of their very popular Overlap show. Relegation was, of course, on the agenda, and the pair had differing views about who would beat the drop.

Carragher remained loyal to his Merseyside roots and believed Everton would find a way to get themselves over the line, but the same could not be said for Neville. The former Manchester United defender instead predicted Dyche’s side would be one of the three clubs to be relegated.

He said: "Last year they obviously stayed up by the skin of their teeth, but this year I think they are going to go down. I think Everton, Southampton and Forest are going to go down."

However, what transpired next would not even have been predicted by the most staunch Everton supporter. After the defeat to Eddie Howe’s side, Everton drew with Leicester City before hammering Brighton & Hove Albion 5-1 at the Amex.

An extraordinary first half saw the visitors go ahead after just 34 seconds, with both Doucoure and Dwight McNeil bagging braces as Jason Steele also scored an own goal.

The victory moved Everton out of the relegation zone and sent shockwaves through the world of football. Neville, so impressed by the result, named it the shock of the season in his end-of-season awards on Monday Night Football.

"Seeing them go to Brighton and rip them to shreds shocked the living daylights out of me," he said. "I didn’t think they were capable of a performance like that, and I don’t know where it came from."

A defeat to champions Manchester City and a last-gasp draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers then followed after the game on the South Coast, before Everton eventually ensured they would be playing top-flight football next season on a day of exhausting emotion.

Reacting to Doucoure’s goal on Sky Sports, Neville said: "Goosebumps! The slight deflection on the way through helps Doucoure, but my word, it helps Everton Football Club more.

"This gantry is rocking like no gantry I’ve been in before. This ground is shaking." He then said post-match: "This football club, with its history, has got to do better than it’s doing.

"The celebration’s at full-time. I don’t think we’re celebrating; it’s determination to make a change at the top, because that’s what this club needs."

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