All that was missing was the shirt twirling above his head.

Duncan Ferguson remained fully clothed, unlike the day more than 20 years ago when he celebrated a goal against Manchester United by ripping off his shirt and haring in front of Goodison Park’s Main Stand.

Everton’s caretaker manager had just watched Dominic Calvert-Lewin poke the ball into the Gwladys Street net and establish a 3-1 lead with five minutes remaining.

Ferguson dashed down the same touchline and swept a ball boy into the air – exactly as he had when Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal and Everton’s second four minutes after half-time.

Goodison roared the name of one of its favourite sons and a fire was lit under Everton’s campaign.

Richarlison thumped a header home on five minutes but Everton were pegged back following Calvert-Lewin’s low strike when Mateo Kovacic arrowed in a tremendous volley on 51 minutes.

Chelsea threw the lot at Everton. But this was the Blues' day, Duncan Ferguson’s day.

A day for Evertonians to savour.

A characteristically guttural roar greeted Ferguson’s arrival to the dugout moments before kick-off.

And the volume further increased when Richarlison powered home his eighth goal of a personally excellent campaign.

The Brazilian, on target in four of his past five Premier League games, received possession from Calvert-Lewin and spread a pass to Djibril Sidibe on the right.

Sidibe advanced and swatted in a ball for the fast-arriving Richarlison to bullet his finish past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The noise which met the ball hitting the back of the net was matched five minutes later.

Morgan Schneiderlin got after Kovacic, the Everton man chasing his opponent to halfway, nipping and biting at the Croatian’s ankles. And the old ground bellowed its approval.

Everton were exerting a grip on the game, Chelsea seemingly startled by their opponent’s lighting start.

There had been a heart-in-mouth moment for the hosts when Reece James’s cross from the right flew beyond the far post.

Chelsea, though, were feeding off slim pickings. Twice Calvert-Lewin was a magnet for visiting corners.

But twice inside five minutes Everton had presentable opportunities to score again.

Theo Walcott was back in the Blues’ side following illness and apparently determined to prove his rude health.

A bundle energy and athleticism, Walcott gave Cesar Azpilicueta a right afternoon of it.

Escaping the Chelsea left-back, Walcott arced a ball which eliminated centre-half Andreas Christensen but was agonisingly out of reach of Richarlison at the back post.

Walcott again for the second chance on 16 minutes, his ball inside Kurt Zouma undressing Chelsea and feeding Calvert-Lewin who was denied by Arrizabalaga diving to his right.

Chelsea, though, have carved out a reputation this season as one of this country’s brightest and most inventive attacking football teams.

An indication of Frank Lampard’s side stirring to life came with Willian swooping on Michael Keane’s heavy touch. The Brazilian subsequently engaged in some rat-a-tat penalty box keep ball with Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham.

It amounted to nothing but served notice of Chelsea’s renewed threat.

Abraham was wide with a deft touch after Willian skipped past Lucas Digne to cross and left-back Digne was exceptional to sense danger and swat away a low centre from the suddenly engaged Christian Pulisic.

Between times, the prolific Abraham was a whisker from connecting with Mount’s ball across goal.

American Pulisic fed a return pass to Mount, crestfallen to be halted by Mason Holgate’s immaculately-timed intervention.

Richarlison, meanwhile, went in the book for tripping Kovacic – and he resisted the temptation after half-time to clatter Christensen – joining Digne on a yellow card after the Frenchman’s pull on Willian.

Calvert-Lewin was over with a header from Sigurdsson’s free-kick two minutes after the break.

He was more clinical soon after when steadying himself to caress beyond Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea’s £70m Spain international keeper plunged to his left to save from Richarlison as the visitors wobbled.

And that stop promptly grew in value.

The indefatigable N’Golo Kante drove forward and fed Azpilicueta to force over a cross from the left.

Digne did well to intercept and had a right to think he’d done enough, leaving Willian stood idle at the back post.

The ball alighted with Kovacic, though, and from 25 yards the midfielder striped a volley into the bottom corner.

Jordan Pickford’s view of proceedings was blocked by Abraham, confirmed as onside following a VAR referral.

Goodison understandably acquired a nervous edge but was no less encouraging for that.

On the pitch, Everton continued trading blows.

Schneiderlin was marginally too high with a left footer from 20 yards.

Walcott tore past Kante but couldn’t defeat Kepa’s outstretched right arm with his shot.

The emboldened Kovacic whizzed an effort over from range on 63 minutes.

And if Goodison held its collective breath as that strike zipped off target, then the worst was feared as Mount opened his body and prepared to address a neat layoff from Kante.

Mount got the connection he wanted but not the direction, Everton keeper Pickford turning his neck left and watching the ball fly past his post.

Tom Davies replaced Richarlison with 20 minutes remaining, Ferguson beefing up his midfield and asking Calvert-Lewin to provide a focal point.

Ferguson would have been well advised to call time on his nascent managerial career for fear of it all being downhill from here had Davies made better connection on a Digne cross seconds after coming on.

Chirstensen abandoned his defensive station to advance and crash a shot wide. Then in his final act before succumbing to what looked like a groin problem – and being replaced by Leighton Baines playing his first football this season – Digne cleared following a Chelsea sortie.

Everton were manning the barricades.

Holgate blocked from Mount’s volley and Azpilicueta’s rising drive was tipped over by Pickford.

And then the game’s defining moment.

Everton swept forward with intent, Calvert-Lewin fed by Walcott and backheeling for Davies.

He was met by a cluster of bodies but ploughed on, keeping the ball alive for Calvert-Lewin to reach his foot round the front of Azpilicueta and toe home.

Ferguson took off and Everton will hope their season does the same.

Deja Blue

Five minutes into his first match in charge and Duncan Ferguson’s Everton led with a goal in the image of the Club’s belligerent former centre forward.

The question of whether Ferguson would select a team spearheaded by two central strikers was answered when Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin lined up well in advance of a four-strong midfield.

Ferguson’s pre-match urgings demanded controlled aggression. Everton chasing and hunting but retaining their cool. The caretaker manager wanted his team purposeful and intelligent in possession.

Richarlison will rightly hog the plaudits when the pundits break down this strike but the Blues’ opener was testament how they’d heeded their caretaker boss’s preaching.

Gylfi Sigurdsson claimed possession deep and fired the ball into the feet of Calvert-Lewin. He fed Richarlison, who worked a pass to Djibril Sidibe.

We’ve seen this picture before; Frenchman Sidibe advancing to sweep in a cross for Richarlison to convert.

It happened at Southampton last month and again six days ago against Leicester City.

Richarlison was making for the penalty box the moment the ball left his boot for Sidibe.

He arrived on cue to meet a pinpoint delivery and flash a powerful header beyond the helpless Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Everton and Ferguson had the start they craved.

Duncan The Orderly

Duncan Ferguson asked for a Goodison Park cauldron.

He exhorted his team to bleed on the pitch.

Everything you’d expect from a rambunctious centre-forward whose cult status was won as much from Ferguson’s uncompromising manner as the 72 goals he scored for Everton.

Somewhat lost among Ferguson’s exhortations was his call for calm, sensible football.

The Scot’s assertion that Everton would be up the river without a paddle should they mindlessly chase a clinical counter-attacking Chelsea side.

A Chelsea side which had scored 19 goals in seven away games coming to L4.

At various times on the road this season Frank Lampard’s team has hit four, five, three and three.

Ferguson was prowling his technical area, slapping his hands together at a million miles per hour, urging Dominic Calvert-Lewin to close Chelsea’s defenders with the game seconds old.

And, my, Everton did press and harry. Morgan Schneiderlin raised the roof when he hunted down Mateo Kovacic, snapping and snarling and refusing the Croatian an inch.

Theo Walcott cramped Cesar Azpilicueta, the Spaniard at left-back never granted an opportunity to lift his head in possession.

This was Everton playing with their heads not their hearts.

The hosts would their shape, resisted the urge to fly out of position and risk the consequences.

Ferguson in his heyday was excellent defending corners. Here, he had Calvert-Lewin expertly performing the same duty.

When Everton attacked, Schneiderlin and Sigurdsson observed from deep, staying behind to mind the gap.

Sigurdsson was back in his own six-yard box shortly before half-time to puncture a Chelsea raid.

At 2-1 Ferguson stiffened his midfield with Tom Davies and watched as the 21-year-old had a significant hand in Everton's final goal.

Ferguson got the blood and thunder he wanted. His team employed the discipline and nous he demanded, too.

Moving Day

Time to move on was Ferguson’s pre-match mantra.

It has been a hard week for anyone of an Everton persuasion. Losing a derby hurts, so does being beaten in the closing seconds of a match.

Both events had befallen Everton in the past week and the Blues woke up this morning in the bottom three.

Ferguson spoke of his belief in this squad’s quality and told them to prove him a man of his word.

Everton were tenacious and measured, swarming all over their opponents and picking Chelsea off with a fabulous display of counter-attacking football.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second goal felt especially significant.

Another blow here would have stung, been very difficult to swallow.

It was the sort of moment which can entirely swing the momentum of a campaign.

At the final whistle Everton were four places higher in the Premier League table than 90 minutes earlier.

Nowhere near where they want to be. But it’s a start, something to grab hold of.

And at the end of a tough seven days something to smile about.