LIVERPOOL, England : Everton’s emotional farewell to Goodison Park continued on Saturday with an entertaining 2-2 Premier League draw against Ipswich Town as the relegated visitors came from two goals down to rescue a point.
Beto and Dwight McNeil put Everton 2-0 up in the penultimate game at the famous old ground before the club move to a new home on the banks of the River Mersey next season.
But a stunning strike from Julio Enciso and a late header by George Hirst brought Ipswich level as Everton failed to convert their chances to put the game to bed and had to settle for a 15th draw of the campaign.
Everton moved to 14th place in the table with 39 points from 35 games, and Ipswich remained 18th.
It was the last Saturday 3pm kick-off at Goodison Park some 132 years after the first with the final game at the grand old stadium against Southampton on Sunday May 18.
“It was nice to contribute again to the team because I have missed that feeling, it was just disappointing we could not get the victory,” McNeil told Premier League Productions.
“We wanted to finish (at Goodison Park) on as high with two wins, not doing that today makes the last one against Southampton even more important.”
Everton will be frustrated they could not close out the match after taking a deserved 2-0 lead, but it was Ipswich who seemed the more likely winner at the end.
“I’m really proud. It was always going to be a tough game for us,” Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said. “I don’t think it had been a 2-0 game, but the group responded really well.
“It took a great goal to get us back into it, but the group stuck together and I think we deserved at least a point.”
After a quiet opening 25 minutes, Everton hit the front as Carlos Alcaraz’s excellent cross from the left was guided into the net at the far post by Beto.
McNeil, making his 100th appearance for the club, doubled the advantage 10 minutes later with a thunderous shot from 30-yards that had venom and swerve and left Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer rooted to the spot.
Ipswich hit back on 41 minutes with a stunning goal of their own. No Everton player closed down Enciso and he unleashed a brilliant strike from 35 yards that left home goalkeeper Jordon Pickford with no chance.
Enciso fired straight at Pickford early in the second half, but the visitors did find an equaliser as Hirst headed in at the back post from Omari Hutchinson’s cross 11 minutes from the end.
