Everton fans enjoyed their first Premier League game at their new stadium with a 2-0 victory over Brighton.
About 53,000 spectators packed into the £750m Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in what one fan called a “pinch-me moment”.
“The atmosphere is boss and it echoes everywhere,” one fan told BBC North West Tonight, adding: “You can’t hear yourself think – in a good way.”
But not everyone was too excited, with one older fan saying: “For the younger generation, this is it, isn’t it? But for me, I like Goodison [Park].”
The club bid an emotional farewell to the Grand Old Lady, as the stadium was known, in May after playing there for 132 years.
PA MediaIliman Ndiaye achieved the distinction of not only scoring Everton’s last Premier League goal at Goodison Park but also their first in the new arena when he slotted in a close-range finish in the 24th minute.
He had been assisted by new arrival Jack Grealish, who played a highly-anticipated and key role during the game.
Outside the stadium, a fan said: “Now we can start punching with the big boys, again.”
Generations of families could be seen basking in the sunny vibes, with one man saying: “Grandparents, parents, us and now grandchildren as well.
“They have to come to the new stadium and will remember it in 50 years’ time.”
