Everton have booked their way into the FA Cup fourth round but there was no sense of celebration at a freezing Goodison Park despite the dramatic sacking of unpopular manager Sean Dyche three hours before kick-off.
If the new owners, The Friedkin Group, had hoped that the timing of the sacking and the presence of club heroes Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman in the dugout as caretaker managers would create an instant improvement in the atmosphere, they were wrong.
For long periods, the silence inside the stadium was as eerie as the fog outside. Any noise came almost exclusively from League One Peterborough's three thousand supporters.
Even Beto's first goal at the end of the first half was largely greeted with polite applause rather than the guttural roar usually associated with passionate Everton fans.
There was definitely a sense of nervous uncertainty about what would happen next rather than joy at seeing Dyche go even though his style of football coupled with poor results left him with few allies among the fan base.
The names of David Moyes and Jose Mourinho linked with the job have not been met with enthusiasm, although the reality is that Everton's priority is to remain in the Premier League as they move to a new 52,000-capacity stadium in the summer.
Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman oversaw Everton's 2-0 win over Peterborough
Beto's first goal was received with polite applause in a surreal atmosphere after the departure of Sean Dyche.
The striker beat goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic and put Everton ahead in the first half.
Although Iliman Ndiaye sealed the victory with a penalty in stoppage time, spirits were subdued.
Seeing Armando Broja being stretchered off towards the end after another injury setback was sad.
And the 38,895 fans didn't even get to watch as history was made when Ashley and Tyler Young became the first father and son to meet in the FA Cup.
Both were named as substitutes, but while 39-year-old Ashley came on for Everton, Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson turned to five other substitutes instead of introducing 18-year-old Tyler.
Goodison's tannoy announcer attempted to instil a feel-good factor by urging Evertonians to give “a warm welcome” to Baines and Coleman, who were virtually benched after Dyche lost his job at four-thirty in the afternoon.
Generous applause and a couple of club songs echoed around the field for the two legends, but they didn't last once the match began.
Dyche lost his job because he had only won three times in 19 league games and struggled to cope with injuries. Last night Everton could only name eight substitutes, including two goalkeepers, instead of the nine allowed.
Everton hope to name a permanent successor in time for next week's Premier League match against Aston Villa and at least the new man, probably Moyes, will also have the chance to end the club's 30-year wait for a trophy
Baines was the most visible on the touchline of Everton's interim coaches during the match.
Everton fans were stunned and confused by the news, despite the important cup tie
The injured forward Armando Broja was taken off on a stretcher 19 minutes after his admission
Watched by Darren Ferguson's father, Sir Alex, Cian Hayes went close for the visitors but they went to sleep after 42 minutes, allowing 17-year-old Harrison Armstrong to slide in on Beto, who finished from an acute angle.
Baines was more visible than Coleman in the technical area, but they chatted animatedly amongst themselves in the second half when Posh, a modest 19th in the third tier, threatened to equalise.
Broja was sent off in the 68th minute, but had to leave 19 minutes later with obvious pain in the back of his leg.
Ashley Young had been called up from the bench after 73 minutes to leave all eyes on when Tyler would join him in making history as the father and son of the FA Cup.
But that never happened as Peterborough chased an equaliser. “It was very difficult to leave Tyler on the bench, but I had to do what was best for the team. At 1-0, I had to get a striker,” Ferguson said.
“One of their players threw a pop at me that was out of character. “We are not a charity case.”
In the end, it was Everton who scored in the eighth of 10 minutes of added time. Jarrad Branthwaite was blocked on a set piece and Iliman Ndiaye scored the penalty.
If Moyes or any other candidate were watching at home, they would have spotted Everton's problems creating chances, one of the main reasons they are the Premier League's lowest scorers, behind Southampton.
Iliman Ndiaye ensured Everton's progress from the penalty spot in second-half added time
On a night when Dyche was sacked, there was little to get excited about despite Everton's victory.
Ashley Young came on as a second-half substitute, but her son Tyler, who left, stayed on the bench.
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Unless the move is successful, there will also be questions about the timing, although there are suggestions that Dyche was happy to leave with his contract, which ran until the summer, fully paid.
Ferguson admitted: 'I'd never heard of a manager being sacked three hours before a game. It surprised me. I think it surprised everyone.'
Baines, who was part of an Everton team that finished in the top four and reached an FA Cup final under Moyes, hopes to return to his day job as an under-18 coach fairly soon.
“It was a hectic day,” he said. “Losing a coach is not what anyone wants. It never depends only on him. I was working at Finch Farm today when I heard…
'We try to play with energy and do the right things. Things are changing with new ownership. “David Moyes was a good manager to play with, but as to who is the right man for the job, I don't want to be dragged into that.”