Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, his last strike for the club. Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, his last strike for the club. Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
It is easy to overlook the role Dominic Calvert-Lewin has played at Everton. The second half of his Blues career has been dogged by injury, his body holding him back during his club’s time of greatest need. Yet there have still been vital, pivotal moments that will live on for decades.
No-one who was there will forget against Crystal Palace. Goodison Park erupted that night and Calvert-Lewin sparked the incredible celebrations.
If that night is a tough one to look back on, the drama and ecstasy undermined by the struggle it represented, then you do not have to work hard to find other heroic feats. Two years on Calvert-Lewin, again with his head, secured the win over Liverpool with another . Everton will always be the last club to win a Merseyside derby at the Grand Old Lady. Calvert-Lewin played a big part in that.
And he played a major role in ensuring Everton remained a Premier League outfit through the turmoil of the latter stages of the Farhad Moshiri regime.
It was not just the winner against Palace. It was the penalty at Leicester City in May 2023. Most people remember , or Seamus Coleman roaring to the away end from his stretcher when they recall that horrific, tense night at the King Power when Everton and Leicester fought out an ‘us or them’ relegation battle. It took immense courage for Calvert-Lewin to step up and score from the spot to help Everton escape with a point that kept them in control of their own destiny.
Then there was the same bravery from 12 yards at Newcastle United in the final minutes, one season later. Everton, winless in four months, stole an unlikely point that was useful in another relegation fight - one that was won when the same scorer broke the winless streak with his deciding goal against Burnley. The derby winner came just a few weeks later.
There will always be a sense of what might have been with Calvert-Lewin. He arrived as a teenager and grew into a man at Everton, signing from Sheffield United as a starlet and blossoming into a full-blown star.
The influence of Carlo Ancelotti and the creative forces that surrounded him at the time pushed him into the spotlight and the full England squad. Had the Euro 2020 penalty shootout unfolded differently, this is a player who would have had an international trophy to his name.
But the post-Ancelotti years stunted Calvert-Lewin’s growth just when he looked ready to accelerate towards the elite. Injuries bit, again and again. They prevented him from helping Everton avoid that relegation fight under Frank Lampard, though . There was real excitement about his prospects for the following year until his plans, and another Everton season, were devastated by a serious injury on the eve of the season.
Under Sean Dyche the player was given the time and freedom to explore a path to sustained fitness and found it. But he returned to a setup devoid of creativity and attacking ambition. He laboured for long stints when he was fit, forced to work the hard yards in a system that did not suit him. In a difficult period the striker was often held accountable for his struggles in a set-up that did not support him.
Then, when David Moyes arrived and Everton began to play with a flourish again, and cost him the second half of his campaign - though he was able to say farewell to Goodison on the pitch.
There has been frustration on both sides through the difficult times. His decision not to sign fresh terms when they were offered last year was met with disappointment in parts of the fanbase and amid struggles for consistent fitness came struggles for consistent form.
Throughout it all, Calvert-Lewin was a professional who cared deeply about the club and was desperate to help it through its struggles. Media appearances have been rare but he is a player who speaks with passion and eloquence when he has the platform, and his efforts to raise awareness around mental health have been powerful. And he still leaves with 71 goals and as one of the club’s greatest Premier League goalscorers.
The challenge Moyes had when weighing up whether to offer a new contract was symbolic of Calvert-Lewin’s recent battles. The Blues boss knew the player held the type of quality that would be very difficult to replace in the transfer market. But to unlock it would require gambling on the fitness of a player with a troubled injury record, a risk that needed to be approached with caution.
It may well be that is best for both parties - Everton can move away from reliance on a player who was vulnerable to injury, the player able to seek a fresh start that might be the catalyst for his regeneration.
He can leave with his head held high and, hopefully, with the best wishes of a fanbase that will never forget some of the celebrations he sparked.