With a sense of the theatrical that would have done their new owner proud, Everton chose the occasion of Bill Kenwright's coronation to record their best result of the season, against a surprisingly inept Sunderland.
To cap a rare day of unqualified delight for the club, Kenwright chose the occasion of his first press conference in effective control to announce that the manager Walter Smith has signed a two-year contract extension that ties him to the club until 2003.
False dawns tend to be common around Goodison Park but if this is any indication of life under Kenwright's stewardship, then the new year does offer hope for some of Britain's longest suffering fans.
The actor turned theatrical impresario had had his Stg £20 million offer for the 68 per cent majority shareholding of the former owner Peter Johnson accepted on Christmas Eve.
After taking a seat in the directors' box 12 minutes into the game, Kenwright was treated to a performance that must rank with any which have been produced during the last three seasons of disappointment and flirtation with relegation.
He waited only four minutes for Don Hutchison's opening goal, a further 10 for another from the same player and saw Francis Jeffers put them into a three-goal lead by the interval.
Further goals from Mark Pembridge and Kevin Campbell inflicted the second defeat in 15 league games on Peter Reid, who suffered his worst Sunderland reverse in the process.
Although his team were lacking Kevin Phillips, the sheer weight of occasion and the desperation to succeed on the part of the home side was of equal significance. "This is a big relief and something we have worked hard for," said Smith. "Any business needs to have leadership and we now have that." Kenwright added: "It was very important to me that Walter stayed. The take-over has been very difficult, it has been 13 months during which the lows have been very low.
"It is a dream for me, particularly given the situation the club is in at the moment." Hutchison, whose postponed contract negotiations should be of paramount importance for Kenwright in the new year, was the spark that ignited a victory borne largely from midfield superiority.
First Hutchison was on the end of a ball from Jeffers turned into his path by Pembridge to convert emphatically from a dozen yards. Then he struck with an even more impressive effort, volleying Steve Bould's header from a David Unsworth free-kick directly into the goal from 25 yards. Jeffers completed the first-half display by chasing Richard Gough's through ball.
After the interval there was a tantalising hint of a Sunderland recovery before Pembridge converted a clever Jeffers' cross, Barmby had two shots cleared off the line and Campbell turned in a right-wing cross from Hutchison.
"This was a massive game for us," Reid said later. "I've got a lot of friends here and I didn't want to get beat. But now it is a question of seeing how we react and getting ready for Manchester United on Tuesday."
"They won all the battles all over the field and we were just second best, it happens in football like that sometimes.
"They played really well and we just were not at our best. When you lose 5-0 and your keeper makes good saves and there are efforts kicked off the line, you see just how far they were ahead of us on the day.
Everton: Gerrard, Unsworth, Weir, Gough, Dunne, Barmby (Moore 74), Hutchison, Collins, Pembridge, Campbell, Jeffers (Cleland 74). Subs Not Used: Watson, Cadamarteri, Simonsen. Booked: Weir. Goals: Hutchison 16, 26, Jeffers 41, Pembridge 61, Campbell 72.
Sunderland: Sorensen, Gray (Reddy 45), Bould, Butler, Makin, Schwarz, Roy (Williams 32), McCann, Summerbee, Kilbane, Quinn. Subs Not Used: Marriott, Rae, Oster. Booked: Kilbane, McCann.
Referee: S Lodge (Barnsley).
