The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Monday 1 March 2010

The Irish Sea has got in the way of more than one bit of Atlantic imagery recently. In the story below about a match in Lisbon that ended in gloom for spectators who had travelled from Liverpool, a story spoke of "Everton fans who had exchanged one great Atlantic city for another".

When Mikel Arteta watched Everton's 5-0 humiliation by Benfica in October, he told anyone who would listen that: "This is not us." And an Everton side crammed with youth-team players and crushed by injury could not be counted as a reflection of a club that would go on to outplay Chelsea and Manchester United in the new year.

Four months later and less than a mile from the Estádio da Luz Everton produced another dreadful performance in Lisbon and this time the humbling was, perhaps, greater. It was summed up by the final goal as Everton, who forced Rui Patrício to make a single serious save during the whole disastrous night, searched for the goal that would force extra-time.

Instead Sporting broke out of their penalty area so comprehensively that Tim Howard saw three forwards advancing towards his undefended goal. It was left to Matías Fernández to walk the ball in.

Benfica are an outstanding team, whereas the form of the club that produced Cristiano Ronaldo had been so wretched that their recently appointed manager, Carlos Carvalhal, was asked in the pre-match press conference if he would resign should they exit the Europa League.

Instead, and against all expectations – especially those of their manager, David Moyes, who remarked that "I did not see this coming"– it was Everton who were eliminated, maintaining the strange hold that Sporting Lisbon have on English clubs. Since they tipped Manchester United out of the Cup-Winners' Cup in 1964, they have met six more English sides in knockout football and won each time. Moyes' suspicion that the late goal they scored in the first leg at Goodison Park would give them momentum for the return proved horribly correct.

"I feel sorry for everyone; we were too concerned with what they were doing," Arteta reflected. "We have not been positive enough, we tried to defend too deep, we never got a grip of the game and when we tried to attack it was too late. It was not just their late penalty at Goodison that has cost us, it was all the chances we missed in the last 20 minutes of that game."

Moyes decided not to give Phil Jagielka his first start since April, although the defender found himself playing seven minutes into the second half when Philippe Senderos, who had been suffering with a dodgy back, was forced to withdraw. By then João Moutinho, whom Moyes had tried repeatedly to bring to Merseyside, had already sent a free-kick crashing against the crossbar and a few minutes later would force Howard into a wonderful reaction save.

However, this was a game that was sliding continually through Everton's hands and, when Miguel Veloso burst into the left side of the Everton area and beat Howard at his near post, it was a goal that had been coming. When Pedro Mendes drove emphatically home from the edge of the area, Everton were belatedly moved to match the passion of their supporters.

Those Everton fans who had exchanged one great Atlantic city for another and happily occupied its main square, the Praça Don Pedro, must have thought this journey would have a different ending. Everton are a different team from the one they were in October but the memories of Lisbon remained the same.