Sympathy for the Deacon

To say that I’ve never been a soccer fan is an understatement, but I have been intrigued by Deacon’s stories about the travails of his team, Everton. It sounds as though only growing up as a Washington Senators fan could immunize him to the disappointments of rooting for Everton.
A few days ago, Manchester United pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in the history of English Premier soccer against Everton. Everton held a 3-0 lead at the half, then gave up three consecutive goals and lost, 4-3, in overtime. Ouch.
The photo below shows an Everton player, in blue, battling with a Manchester United player, in red, for the ball during this epic match. Everton is called, I believe, the “Toffees.” Maybe Deacon can explain why.

I’m a little surprised Deacon didn’t tell us about this game himself.
DEACON responds: Glad to see you following soccer, Rocket Man, and great title for the post, but you’re confusing two matches. In mid-week, Manchester City (not the great Manchester United) came back from three goals down to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3. What is most remarkable is that City did it playing with only ten men (soccer teams ordinarily have 11, but one was sent off for misconduct and no replacement is allowed under those circumstances).
Today, the Toffees (so named because 100 years ago they played next to a building where toffee candy was made) played mighty Manchester United and quickly fell three goals down. Everton then rallied to tie the match at 3-3 only to lose on a last minute goal. I missed the match because I was at a debate tournament with my daughter (she fared better than Everton and won first place in her event). As far as Everton is concerned, I’m proud and heartbroken at the same time.