David Moyes' homecoming to Everton, more than eleven years after his initial departure, was greeted with a chorus of scepticism. On paper, the appointment seemed like a desperate club reaching back to a familiar face in hopes of a short‑term morale boost as they fought to maintain their Premier League status. Everton were reeling financially, still feeling the sting of a points deduction imposed less than a year and a half earlier, and they hovered just one point above the relegation zone when Moyes stepped back onto the Goodison Park touchline. Fast forward to today: the Toffees have moved into a brand‑new stadium, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and are now eyeing ambitions that would have been dismissed as fantasy a few months ago – a genuine push for European competition, with a particular focus on the upcoming Merseyside derby against Liverpool that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
When Moyes first left Everton, the club was already drifting away from the places in the table that could secure a spot in the Europa League or Champions League. The notion that simply reinstating the manager who guided them to their most recent continental campaign two decades ago could reignite those hopes seemed overly simplistic, and perhaps even unfair to Moyes. After all, he later delivered West Ham United their sole European trophy, a feat that, while impressive, did not involve the same level of pressure as steering a historically significant club back into the elite echelons of European football. A victory over arch‑rivals Liverpool this Sunday would catapult Everton to within two points of the fifth‑place slot that guarantees a Champions League return.
Since Moyes' re‑appointment, Everton have climbed to seventh place in the Premier League, sitting above the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – all clubs that have either competed in the Champions League this season or are regular participants. This ascent is particularly striking given the financial muscle wielded by those rivals; each of them has spent well over £100 million in the last two transfer windows, dwarfing Everton's comparatively modest outlay.
Yet Moyes has managed to extract maximum performance from the resources at his disposal, turning a side once earmarked for relegation into a credible European contender. A key element of this transformation has been an improvement in an area that previously exposed a glaring weakness: away form.
Historically, Moyes' teams have struggled on the road, but since his return to Merseyside Everton have become one of the most efficient travelling sides in the league. Only Arsenal and Manchester City have accumulated more points away from home, with Everton averaging 1.68 points per game on the road. This is the highest away‑points ratio Moyes has ever achieved, surpassing even his tenure at Manchester United.
In contrast, his spells at Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham saw him either fail to reach or just barely touch a single point per game away from home. While Everton have not been prolific scorers – Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall leads the team with just seven goals this season – Moyes has built a resilient defensive structure that makes the side difficult to break down. This solidity has yielded points at some of the most intimidating venues in English football, including Old Trafford, St James' Park and Villa Park, where visiting teams were left stunned by Everton's composure. However, the new stadium has introduced a fresh set of challenges.
Despite their impressive away record, Everton's home form has been underwhelming. They have secured only six Premier League victories at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, placing them 14th in the home‑team standings. Moyes himself has acknowledged that teams moving into new arenas often encounter a period of adjustment, noting that "if you look back, almost all the teams that move into a new stadium struggle at first." The open design of the new ground may dilute the intense atmosphere that made Goodison Park a fortress, allowing the opposition to feel less pressure from the crowd. Statistically, Everton's style of play shifts noticeably between home and away fixtures.
At the Hill Dickinson Stadium the Toffees adopt a more possession‑based approach, averaging 47.6% possession compared with 39.7% on the road, and they attempt 107 more long passes when playing away. Yet this increased possession does not translate into defensive stability; while they have conceded only one more goal at home than away, their expected goals against (xGA) at the new stadium is nearly four goals higher, indicating that the team is more vulnerable when they hold onto the ball for extended periods. Conversely, their direct, counter‑attacking style on the road keeps the ball away from their own box, allowing them to reset defensively and limit the opposition's chances.
As the season reaches its climax, the oft‑repeated mantra that "every game is a cup final" needs a slight tweak for Everton under Moyes: treat every match as an away game, regardless of the venue. This mindset, applied to the upcoming derby with Liverpool, could be the catalyst that propels Everton back into European competition – a scenario that seemed almost unimaginable at the start of the campaign.
Should they manage to sustain their away‑game intensity at home, the blue half of Merseyside could once again celebrate a return to the continent's elite tournaments. Fans can catch the crucial Everton versus Liverpool clash on Super Sunday at 1 pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event, and even try their luck in the Super 6 competition for a chance to win £250,000, entry being free of charge.