After months of nerve-shredding tension, dread and perhaps even an acceptance that their long, unbroken stint in the top division of English football may be coming to an end, Everton fans can finally breathe easy after their dramatic victory over Crystal Palace.
Frank Lampard's side were two goals down at half-time and faced the possibility of going into the final day of the season with their Premier League status under severe threat.
But then the Toffees launched a rousing comeback as goals from Michael Keane, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the second half sent Goodison Park into raptures. It means Everton will be playing Premier League football next season.
There have been times - to many for Everton fans to count - where that felt like a distant dream.
When Lampard took over to replace the sacked Rafael Benitez in January, Everton were languishing in 16th place with one win and three draws from their previous 14 matches. The tide was seemingly only going one way.
Fast forward less than six months and Everton are safe. Here, Sportsmail looks at the key moments that contributed to the Toffees' survival, what Lampard has got right and wrong and what he needs to do next season to avoid another relegation scrap.
Key moments
Beating Newcastle with 10 men - March 17
While there were few tears shed among the Goodison faithful when Benitez was finally dismissed, Lampard's arrival did not exactly spark the typical new manager bounce.
Lampard had won only one league game before Newcastle, themselves enjoying a resurgence under Eddie Howe, arrived at Goodison Park for a vital midweek fixture where both the Blues manager and their supporters were desperate for three points.
A tense contest appeared to be heading for a draw and things looked to have got worse for the home side when they had Brazilian midfielder Allan controversially sent off with seven minutes to go.
The nerves inside the ground were palpable and, as the clock ticked towards the 100th minute, Alex Iwobi scored a well-worked winner to spark delirium in the stands.
The win moved Everton three points clear of Watford with two games in hand. There are no doubt some Evertonians who feel their fate may have been very different had they not secured that last-gasp victory.
Defeat to Burnley sparking a comeback - April 6
This contest at Turf Moor was the very definition of the cliched relegation six-pointer.
And all was going well for Lampard's side as they recovered from an early setback to take a 2-1 lead into break thanks to two penalties from Richarlison.
What followed was the stuff of nightmares for Everton fans as Jay Rodriguez levelled before Maxwel Cornet scored what proved to be the winner five minutes from time.
Victory for Burnley saw them close the gap to Everton in 17th to just a single point. If Lampard was not fearful before, he would almost certainly have been now.
Yet the result seemed to light a fire in Everton. Perhaps the magnitude of the defeat hit home as it prompted a fightback that ultimately ended in confirming safety against Palace on Wednesday night.
Three points against a hapless United - April 9
Barely three days later, Everton had the chance to immediately bounce back and respond to the disappointing defeat to Burnley when Manchester United came to town knowing that they could end up in the bottom three if results went against them.
While United, whose top-four hopes were fading fast by this point, would have been the choice of opponents for most of the league at the time given their well-documented troubles, Everton still had to get the job done - and they did. Just.
In truth, the match would probably have ended in a dull stalemate had Anthony Gordon's strike from outside the area midway through the first half not taken a wicked deflection which spun the ball out of David de Gea's reach.
United barely troubled after that as Everton's defence held firm to give them some breathing space in the relegation dogfight and lift what had been a growing gloom over Goodison.
Back-to-back victories for the first time since August - May 1 and May 8
Chelsea were the visitors to Goodison on the first day in May for a contest which pitted Lampard against the team he made his name for during his playing career and the side he had most recently managed.
It was always going to be an emotional day for Chelsea's record goalscorer but he held his nerve in the dugout and guided his new club to a famous win.
Richarlison may have got the winning goal but Everton owed much to Jordan Pickford, who made several superb saves to keep Chelsea at bay and preserve the three points.
Seven days later, Everton travelled to Leicester hoping to continue their decent run of form following the loss to Burnley.
Lampard's side emerged with a 2-1 victory as goals from Vitaliy Mykolenko and Mason Holgate saw them climb out of the relegation zone. They have not been in the dreaded bottom three since.
What Lampard has got right
Reconnected with the fans
The mood at Goodison with Benitez at the helm is perhaps as low as it has ever been.
The Spaniard's appointment was unpopular in the first place, given his spell in charge of Merseyside rivals Liverpool, and it was always going to turn toxic. Benitez never threatened to do enough to change that.
Enter Lampard, who is arguably the opposite of his predecessor. The jury may still be out on the 43-year-old's credentials as a tactician and a coach but the impact of getting the supporters - who are not shy of voicing their opinion inside the ground, to say the least - back on side cannot be underestimated.
The pictures we have seen before Everton's home matches, where thousands have gathered outside Goodison to welcome the team in a sea of blue smoke, speak for themselves.
That connection simply was not there under Benitez, and Lampard deserves a lot of credit for repairing a relationship that has undoubtedly had an influence on their battle to avoid the drop.
Got the best out of under-performing players
Iwobi and Gordon may not be household names but they have played a significant role in recent weeks in preventing Everton from sliding into the Championship.
The Nigerian, whose £35million transfer fee has been used as a stick to beat him with since he arrived from Arsenal, has at least begun to prove his doubters wrong under Lampard, who has found a way to get the best out of him in the last couple of months.
Iwobi is far from a fan favourite but he has shown promise and could yet prove to be a key member of Lampard's team.
Like Iwobi, Gordon has also scored a vital winning goal in the relegation run-in and his energetic performances in Lampard's reign have caught the eye. The youngster ran Liverpool ragged at times during the Merseyside derby and is fast becoming a hero among the Goodison fanbase.
Gordon also found the net in the win over Leeds back in February - the first league victory Lampard had achieved since he took the job.
Turning Goodison into a fortress when it mattered
Everton have been beaten just once at home since March 13, when Wolves earned a narrow 1-0 win - another game where the Toffees were reduced to 10 players.
Their only other defeat came on Sunday, when they had two men sent off and were perhaps unfortunate to suffer a 3-2 reverse at the hands of Brentford.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester have all left Goodison empty-handed since Wolves claimed all three points on Everton's turf.
Since Lampard arrived to take the Everton hotseat, the Toffees have earned 16 points - more than a third of their tally for the entire season - on their own patch.
Everton's home form has been crucial in halting the ignominy of relegation into the Championship.
Lampard, having settled on a formation that seems to work, has made his side tough to beat and has got the crowd - famed for its 'Goodison boo' - and the players moving in the same direction.
What Lampard has got wrong
Being too cautious in big games
There are those in the Everton fanbase who feel Lampard was more than responsible for the aforementioned defeat to Burnley in April.
When the visitors to Turf Moor were leading, Everton failed to go for the kill and their reserved approach ended up costing them dearly.
At 2-1 in front, Lampard's team had a platform to go on and earn a victory which would have pushed Burnley closer to the relegation trapdoor. Instead, they sat back and were caught out by a late goal.
They were not adventurous enough when they travelled to face an already-relegated Watford, either. A win there would have eased their relegation fears considerably but they left with a point following a dour and drab 0-0 draw.
Took a while to gauge who he could trust
Lampard has been in charge since January 31 but took his time in deciphering which players he could trust and in what position to play them.
Working out who to choose from an inherited squad is never an easy task but there is the view that Lampard could - and should - have learned faster.
He had also failed to cut out the individual errors that were so costly under Benitez, particularly in their 5-0 drubbing at Tottenham back in March.
The Everton boss has perhaps been too trusting of two in midfield in a lot of the defeats, sparking calls for a change in personnel from supporters, but eventually eventually found a formation that got results.
Failed to stop the rut away from home
Everton have been as bad on the road as they have been good at home, although Lampard is not entirely to blame as this worrying trend began under Benitez.
One away win since Lampard replaced the Spaniard is simply not enough for a team who were fighting for their lives in the Premier League.
In fact, they have only claimed victory away from Goodison twice all season. Their points tally of 10 is the same as basement side Norwich, who were relegated with four games to spare.
Yes, Lampard has taken his team to daunting places including Anfield and Tottenham, but his return of four away points is one of the reasons why their decades-long stay in the top flight nearly came to an end.
The Everton boss will be delighted to have secured their status before their last game of the season, a tricky trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal this coming Sunday.
What Lampard has got to do next season
With their Premier League place for the 2022-23 campaign confirmed following the win over Palace, attention now turns to how they can improve next season.
For some, it was an embarrassment that Everton, who have spent more than half-a-billion pounds since Farhad Moshiri bought a majority stake in the club in 2016, were ever in danger of falling into the second tier.
It is up to Lampard to ensure this season is an anomaly, but how does he do that?
Maintaining the connection he has helped build with fans is a must, while he also has to rid the club of deadwood such as Salomon Rondon and Andre Gomes in his first full transfer window at the helm.
Ditching the policy of signing expensive players on ludicruous wages will be key. Instead, Lampard should opt for bringing in young, hungry players and will have to build a squad fit for their £500million new stadium - but on a budget.
Those supporters at Goodison, who have been put through the ringer this season, will also hope Lampard's team can start playing a more attractive brand of football, swapping survival mode for a front-foot and more adventurous style that their passionate fanbase feels it deserves.
