It still required a clearance from Conor Coady under his own crossbar and a good save deep into 10 minutes of stoppage time from Jordan Pickford to keep Everton safe.
In 1994, Everton beat Wimbledon 3-2 - coming back from 2-0 down - and rivals Ipswich, Sheffield United and Southampton all fared worse to keep the Merseysiders in the top division. Four years later, they bettered Bolton's result at Chelsea to survive.
The stakes seemed much higher on this occasion and with a new 52,000-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock due to open for the 2024-25 season, this was potentially the last Premier League game at Goodison Park.
However, they are not out of trouble as the club have posted losses in excess of 430 million pounds over the last four years and have an outstanding Premier League charge for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
Everton will now have a 121st season in the top flight. A founder member of the English league in 1888, Everton has had only four seasons outside the top division - in 1930-31 and from 1951-1952 to 1953-54.