On This Day In Everton History: April 6th

April 6th has been a very successful day for the Toffees as they have won 15 times out of 26 matches, losing only 6 of those. So, let’s take a look at how this date has shaped Everton history as we know it!

1928: Dixie Dean scores a brace to inch closer to scoring record

Dixie Dean is easily one of the most iconic players in Everton history. One of the most dynamic goalscorers we have ever seen, Dean came to Everton from Tranmere Rovers in 1925. Dean had an astounding 349 goals in 399 League games for the club, but none more spectacular than the ones he scored in the 1927-28 season. With Everton coming off a less than ideal campaign, the club had now gone 13 years without a trophy, but Dixie Dean wouldn’t let that last any longer. Almost taking the task into his own hands, Dean and the Toffees started the season off in fantastic form with Everton going unbeaten in 13 of their first 14 matches and Dean scoring 25 goals in that span, including 5 against Manchester United. Despite the solid start, though, Everton would go winless from mid-January to mid-March, putting their title hopes at risk, but Everton’s prolific goalscorer would have his say in that, which brings us to April 6th, 1928.

With Everton looking to get back in good form, they welcomed Blackburn Rovers to Goodison in hopes of winning two in a row for the first time since the beginning of January. Dixie Dean was sitting on 45 goals for the season as he chased the single-season scoring record of 59, which was set in the Second Division the year before. With just 7 games to go, he would really need to step things up and it started in this one. The Toffees would dominate Blackburn as Dixie Dean scored 2 goals to go along with a goal apiece from George Scott Martin and Hunter Hart to lead Everton to a 4-1 win at home. The game was the first time of 5 in the next 7 matches that Dean scored multiple goals as he would break the record on the final day and finish the season with that unforgettable total of 60 goals. The icing on top? Everton would go undefeated in their final 9 matches to win the league title for the first time in 13 years.

2014: Everton knock off Arsenal to continue spectacular season

The 2013-14 season is easily the most memorable for Evertonians in the last few years. It was the last time the Toffees finished higher than 7th and was full of magical moments. The campaign started out with Everton in phenomenal form as they went unbeaten in 23 of their first 26 matches in all competitions, losing only twice in league play. But, things would cool off a bit over the next five weeks as the Toffees lost 4 of their next 7 matches, all to top six sides, putting them in a difficult spot with the season coming to a close. But, they wouldn’t give up. Everton went on a run over the next few games, bringing us to April 6th, 2014.

With the Toffees on a four-game winning streak, they welcomed Arsenal to Goodison Park. The Gunners had knocked Everton out of the FA Cup just a month prior in impressive fashion, but the Toffees had different plans in this one. Things got started in the 14th minute as Leighton Baines played a beautiful ball into Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian was denied by Wojciech Szczesny, but Steven Naismith was there to clean things up, putting Everton on the board first. Twenty minutes later, Lukaku would get one for himself. Receiving the ball on the right, the Belgian would cut inside and fire into the far bottom corner from just inside the box to put the Toffees up 2-0 before the half. It wouldn’t stop at the break, though, as Everton would get some help from one of their former players in the second half. With about 30 minutes to play in regulation, Kevin Mirallas played in Steven Naismith. Szczesny made the save, once again, but Mirallas was on hand to tuck in the Toffees’ third goal...or so we thought. On second look, it was Mikel Arteta who, in an attempt to deny Mirallas, knocked the ball into his own net. Either way, Everton led by three and that was all she wrote, extending the win streak to five. Unfortunately, the Toffees would lose three of their final five matches, taking them out of the Champions League running. All was not lost, though, as Everton managed to finish in 5th place, earning them Europa League football the next season and their best finish since 2008-09.

Also there was this nifty piece of skill from Seamus Coleman.

And THAT is today in Everton history!