Tribute to the 96 showed the sheer quality of Toon and Everton fans
It may have been a night of high drama at Goodison Park but for a minute before the Merseyside thriller - football paled into insignificance as the victims of Hillsborough were remembered in front of a Premier League crowd in Liverpool for the first time since the findings of the 1989 disaster.
And it's safe to say there wasn't a dry eye in the house as The Hollies' He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother played out amidst an emotional minute of applause just across Stanley Park and the home of Everton's city rivals.
There was a lump in the throat as Radio City DJ Simon Ross said just before it: "Last week the world learned what the people of Merseyside have known for 23 years."
It was a poignant moment when rivalries were put to one side and the fans who perished at the Leppings Lane were remembered just down the road from their beloved Anfield.
Before the game there had been talk of the disgraceful minority of fans at Old Trafford who had resorted to sick chants over the weekend.
But there was never even the slightest chance of that from the Toon Army.
You can only speak from personal experience sometimes, but I've always found Liverpool and Everton as away day venues one of the friendliest in the Premier League.
The down to earth working class banter between the fans is always exchanged.
Yet unlike some places who have the "no away fans" signs plastered around their towns and cities, Merseyside has always been a place in which fans enjoy a pre-match pint together and plenty of banter to boot.
There is a real connection between two northern cities and that shone through last night.
In the aftermath of the findings of the Hillsborough report, a Toon fan sent me a crest that featured the Liverpool and Newcastle badges (it could quite easily have displayed an Everton one too) with a slogan saying: "We'll Walk With You" in reference to the fight for justice that continues regardless of no matter how many "profound apologies" we heard last week.
I don't think Merseysiders ever doubted that Geordie folk would be beside them when it comes to the continued fight.
However, while a minority of morons on Twitter and in the stands seem to get a buzz out of sick chants, last night underlined the true, true quality of the Scouse and Geordie fans.
It was a moment that will live me forever.
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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