When Steve Yates rose highest inside a crowded penalty area to head home a Jason Koumas corner the 7,000-odd Tranmere fans inside Goodison Park plunged head-long into noisy delirium.
It was the postscript to a quite marvellous Tranmere performance. Their third goal, and Yates's second, confirmed that a team of honest triers who crave victory will often eclipse a team of seasoned pros.
The second noise was altogether more curious, the sound of seats being upturned as thousands of Evertonians headed for the exits. Those who stayed until the bitter end did so only to register their disapproval in the traditional manner.
Yates, now 31, who has been plying his trade round the lower divisions all his career, admitted: "I've never scored two in a game; I've hardly scored them in ones. It's nice to get a couple because I have waited 14 years to be a hero for once instead of being a villain."
Of Koumas, who scored Rovers' other goal with an angled chip from 20 yards, Yates said: "Jason's was a great finish and he played ever so well. Everybody did. But Jason just took the chance to show off his ability. He's a Premiership player, and I'm sure there are a lot of clubs interested in him. He proved what a great player he is already by the way he took on Everton on their own ground."
Tranmere make a habit of upsetting Premiership sides, adding Everton to West Ham, Coventry, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Leeds in the past 16 months. But Yates said: "This was the best of our Cup giant-killings over the past couple of seasons. This time we not only had to face one of the biggest clubs around us but we had to do it on their ground. People expected us to get beaten, so it was great to get ourselves into the next round with a performance like that."
Everton have had many, many dark days of late but this was a total blackout in terms of thought, reason, logic and, most significantly, pride.
It was almost impossible not to feel some sympathy for Walter Smith afterwards. As the cries of the disenchanted drifted up from the street below, he attempted to explain away the unexplainable, attempted without success to find some way of excusing the inexcusable. He simply pointed out that Tranmere took their goals well.
Having dominated the opening 10 or so minutes, Everton gave up. Tranmere isolated the weakest link in Everton's chain of many weak links, David Unsworth, and funnelled everything down their right flank.
It was a clever ploy and Unsworth duly obliged with a series of errors. Unable to deal with the sprinting speed of the excellent Andy Parkinson, the former England international defender fell to pieces before being hauled off at half-time.
For Smith the damage had already been done. After 22 minutes, Yates climbed well at the far post to send a looping header over the strangely leaden-footed Thomas Myhre and 13 minutes on Koumas swept in gloriously.
Thereafter, Tranmere, a club currently in 21st place in the first division, began to swagger and but for some decidedly dodgy finishing - Yates's second goal apart - the final margin of victory would have been enormous rather than merely generous.
"My players are driving me mad," said the Tranmere manager John Aldridge. "They play so well in the Cup games yet we are marooned near the foot of the first division table. It's very confusing."
Everton: Myhre, Steve Watson, Xavier, Ball, Unsworth (Gough 45), Gemmill, Gravesen, Pembridge, Hughes (Moore 45), Campbell, Cadamarteri (Tal 71). Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Jevons. Booked: Gravesen, Gemmill, Tal, Pembridge.
Tranmere: Achterberg, Hill, Jobson, Hamilton, Yates, Allen, Hinds, Koumas, Flynn (Henry 83), Parkinson (Scott Taylor 86), Rideout (Hume 80). Subs Not Used: Allison, Murphy. Booked: Allen. Goals: Yates 22, Koumas 35, Yates 62.
Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).
