The heavens opened over the London Stadium before proceedings began with a moment of mourning for Bill Kenwright. Poignantly, the sun was shining by full-time, Everton having delivered the exact result that their dearly departed chairman would have wanted from this trip to Stratford.
This was the Merseyside club's first outing since Kenwright's passing at the age of 78. Unlike this impresario's West End productions, this was not a performance dripping in drama.
It was slow and safe until Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the protagonist, scoring the game's only goal in the second half.