Chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale delivered the news to Rafa Benitez that he had been sacked but the Spanish coach had an air of resignation about him following the defeat to Norwich City on Saturday night.
Everton's power brokers could not understand why, in such a high-stakes game, Richarlison and Yerry Mina were left on the bench and the fact that the squad looked fearful was of grave concern to them too.
The message from the top of the club was that no rash decisions were going to be made but it was clear, even in the immediate aftermath of the 2-1 loss, that Benitez stood on the brink of the sack.
Sunday afternoon brought confirmation that after just 200 days, Benitez had been dismissed before, 24 hours later, the Spanish coach's backroom staff followed him out of the door.
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By that point, Benitez's sacking, and his statement which followed, had long since been overtaken by news that Roberto Martinez was being lined up as his successor.
The Catalan had strong support last summer, as Everton looked for a replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, but despite holding talks with the club, Farhad Moshiri said no and opted for Benitez instead.
He saw Martinez as having a 'mixed' Premier League record and felt it would be difficult to return to club management having been with Belgium for so long
But fast forward less than seven months and Everton were asking the Belgium FA about releasing him from his deal or whether they would agree to Martinez combining both roles. Belgium have made it clear they are not interested in losing Martinez during a World Cup year.
Rafa Benitez sacked as Everton boss
Right now, a deal to bring Martinez back to Goodison is in doubt. It remains unclear if Moshiri had given the nod for the club to make Martinez an offer but an agreement for his release may not even be reached.
The names of Frank Lampard, Lucien Favre and others have been mentioned as being candidates for the vacant post at Everton.
But one figure definitely under discussion is Wayne Rooney.
The former Blues forward and, now, manager at crisis club Derby County, is being talked about at the top of the club.
Rooney is aware of this and knows he has admirers at Goodison.
Moshiri, however, would still need convincing that the 36-year-old, who is 12 months into his managerial career, would have enough experience to get the best out of the squad. No official approach has been made to Derby, at the time of writing.
Duncan Ferguson was due to take first-team training at Finch Farm this morning, alongside Alan Kelly and possibly Leighton Baines, and looks increasingly likely to be in caretaker charge for Saturday's visit of Aston Villa.
Everton then don't play again until February 5, when Brentford are the visitors in an FA Cup fourth round tie. The Blues' next Premier League fixture, after Villa, is a crunch trip to Newcastle United on February 8, so the club's powers have time to find a sixth new permanent manager in as many years.
The search for a new manager comes amid the backdrop of the club undertaking a "strategic review" of football operations, following Marcel Brands' decision to leave his role as director of football.
Everton have yet to indicate when the review will be finished or when they will share the outcome of their findings.
