When David Moyes was reinstated as Everton manager just over eleven years after his initial departure, many observers were quick to dismiss the appointment as a nostalgic stunt by a club in crisis. On the surface, it seemed a desperate move by a side struggling to stay afloat in the Premier League, a bid to conjure short‑term optimism by reviving a familiar face. At the time, Everton were reeling from severe financial difficulties, still nursing a points deduction imposed less than a year and a half earlier. They were perched a solitary point above the relegation zone when the Scottish tactician stepped back onto the Goodison Park pitch.
Fast forward to the present, and the Toffees have not only escaped that immediate danger but have also secured a new home and set their sights on fresh ambitions, with the inaugural Hill Dickinson Merseyside derby looming on Sky Sports. The notion that Everton could be flirting with European qualification—or even dreaming of a Champions League return—would have been met with laughter when Moyes first walked through the door. Since his original exit, the club had drifted further from the top‑six places that grant continental competition. Yet, reinstating the manager who guided Everton to their most recent taste of elite European football two decades ago appears to have ignited a revival.
It would be unfair to attribute the turnaround solely to nostalgia; Moyes has a proven pedigree, having delivered West Ham United their sole European trophy. More importantly, under his renewed stewardship Everton have climbed to seventh place in the league, sitting above traditional powerhouses such as Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur—each of which has either participated in the Champions League this season or holds a spot for the upcoming campaign. This achievement is especially striking given the financial disparity: those three clubs have each splashed well over £100 million in the last two transfer windows, far exceeding Everton's spending, yet Moyes has maximised the resources at his disposal to transform a former relegation‑watch list side into a genuine European contender.
A key factor in this metamorphosis has been the dramatic improvement in Everton's away form—a historic weakness for Moyes since his departure from Manchester United in 2014. Since his return, the Toffees have become one of the most effective road teams in England, ranking only behind Arsenal and Manchester City in points per game away from home, with an average of 1.68 ppg. The only other period in Moyes' career where his away record outshone his home performance was during his brief spell at Manchester United; elsewhere—at Real Sociedad, Sunderland and during his two tenures at West Ham—he struggled to reach even a single point per game on the road. While Everton have not been prolific scorers—their leading goal‑getter this season, Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall, has managed just seven goals—Moyes has engineered a side that is difficult to break down.
This defensive solidity has yielded points at some of the most intimidating venues in English football, leaving Old Trafford, St James' Park and Villa Park stunned by the Toffees' resilience. However, the upcoming Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium brings a new challenge: Everton's home form remains inconsistent.
Despite their impressive away exploits, the Toffees have recorded only six Premier League victories in front of their own fans, placing them 14th in the league's home standings. Some pundits argue that this is a typical teething problem for clubs that have recently moved to a new stadium. Moyes himself has noted that "if you look back, all the teams that move into a new stadium – I think just about them all have struggled". The shift from the tightly packed, intimidating atmosphere of Goodison Park to the more open design of the Hill Dickinson Stadium may have diluted the vocal support that once made the venue a fortress.
The increased openness means that crowd noise dissipates more quickly, potentially reducing the psychological edge that opposition teams previously felt when stepping onto the pitch. Statistical analysis supports this theory: Everton's style of play changes markedly at home. They adopt a more direct approach, attempting 107 more long passes per game away than at the Hill Dickinson, and their possession drops to 39.7 % compared with 47.6 % on the road.
Interestingly, the shift in tactics does not appear to affect their goal‑scoring output dramatically. At home they have netted 21 goals from an expected goals (xG) value of 20.46, while away they have scored 19 from an xG of 22.82. The real issue lies in defensive exposure.
Although Everton have conceded only one more goal at home than away, their expected goals conceded at the new stadium is nearly four goals higher, suggesting they are benefitting from a degree of luck rather than defensive superiority. Greater possession at home seems to leave them vulnerable to turnovers in dangerous areas, allowing opponents to capitalize. As the season reaches its climax, the common mantra that "every game is a cup final" is being refined for Everton. Under Moyes, the emphasis should be to treat every fixture as an away match, regardless of venue.
If the Toffees can apply that mindset to the upcoming derby against Liverpool, they stand a realistic chance of achieving what seemed impossible at the start of the campaign: securing a place in European competition and restoring continental football to the blue half of Merseyside. Fans can catch the Liverpool clash live on Sky Sports Main Event at 1 pm on Super Sunday, with the added excitement of the Super 6 competition offering a chance to win £250,000 for free.