Amid the excitement and anticipation, there was tension and apprehension. How could there not be? The big days, unfortunately, have been the ones of late when Everton have fallen short.
August 24 is huge in Everton's history, as it was when Goodison Park opened its doors in 1892 but it's also a date that reminds the club of what could have been: this was the 20th anniversary of a robbery in Villarreal, Pierluigi Collina's preposterous refereeing scuppering Champions League dreams.
For two decades, it has felt like there has been a curse. In the moments when an Everton win would have brought unbridled happiness – an FA Cup Final (2009), two semi-finals (2012 and 2016), a pair of League Cup semi-finals (2008 and 2016) – something has tended to go wrong.