• create one or a few splits
• put cursor in second or a later split
• open one of the panels and do something (the operation (search/replace, goto) works in the correct split.
• close the panel with the escape key

The focus will jump to the top left split, no matter from which split you opened the tool panel (even for goto ;) )
So the tool panels should remember from where they were called and return there, or to the place matching the action undertaken in the tool panel.