The soundtrack was brutal. A chorus of catcalls rang out as Morgan Schneiderlin walked towards the touchline, reaching a caustic crescendo which served as an assault on the senses as he waited for his team-mate Idrissa Gueye to trudge off.

Everton may have won, effectively banishing any lingering threat of being dragged into a battle for survival while heightening Crystal Palace’s fears, but the moment was a reminder that this is a club still in need of urgent repair.

While Sam Allardyce spoke afterwards of his surprise at the treatment of the midfielder — no doubt there was a little relief mixed in that he, for once, was not the target of the fans’ opprobrium — others might have seen this coming in the wake