If Bejamin Sesko broke Everton's hearts at one end of the field, another summer recruit, Senne Lammens, did it at the other.
The Belgian goalkeeper kept out a blockbuster strike from Michael Keane, which Blues manager David Moyes felt sure was going in, then dealt superbly with a series of corners dropped under his crossbar as Everton literally tried to force an equaliser.
"Their goalie was brilliant tonight," was Moyes' blunt reaction.
"The save he made from Michael, the way he dealt with corner kicks. The pressure we had. For me, their goalkeeper was the best player."
Michael Carrick is the one who benefits, though, just as he is benefiting from the decision of Manchester United's recruitment department to block Ruben Amorim's calls to bring in Emi Martinez from Aston Villa on summer transfer deadline day and instead place their faith in a relatively young £18.1m goalkeeper with just one full season of senior football in Belgium behind him.
It was brought to Carrick's attention after the Everton game that his former United team-mate and all-time great goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was analysing the game on Sky Sports with Jamie Carragher.
Carrick skilfully navigated the question of whether there are comparisons to be drawn between the two men.
"I've got to be careful what I say," he said. "I don't want to be comparing them because I don't think it's fair to Senne. But there's definitely similarities.
"You want a goalkeeper to be reliable and trustworthy. Instead of creating a chaos, you want him to take the chaos away and calm things down. I think Senne is that.
"He's quite quiet at times and unassuming, but he's got real steel. It's a big role for some, and it's about being comfortable in your environment.
"Sometimes it takes time, sometimes not, but he has that calmness and composure. It helps those in front of him an awful lot."