Monday’s Premier League clash between West Bromwich Albion and Everton was briefly halted while players from both teams stopped to watch a seagull circling overhead, its gentle movements through the evening sky a heartbreakingly beautiful reminder of the natural world's wonder.
“West Brom’s never an easy place to come so it was important we put in a professional performance,” said Everton manager Roberto Martinez.
“But I think I speak for all the lads when I say that the highlight of the game – and perhaps the most important event of the season so far – was when that seagull, illuminated by the floodlights, shifted its wings in the breeze and glided around and around in a magnificent arc, making us all reflect on the preciousness and fragility of life.”
“Everton asked a lot of questions tonight,” said the Northern Irish midfielder. “But we were asked even more questions by that seagull’s brief yet powerful challenge to our humdrum daily existence.
“Questions like: is all our endless toil in vain? Are we so blind to the majesty around us? Why can’t humans live their lives free of care, like birds?
“It’s just like I’ve always said,” he continued. “At the end of the day, all things hang like a drop of dew upon a blade of grass.”
Everton are expected to rotate their side for Saturday’s FA Cup game against Stevenage, as all 11 players who faced West Brom are reportedly still lost in thought.
