When David Moyes was reappointed at Everton more than eleven years after his initial departure, many pundits and fans greeted the news with skepticism. On the surface, the appointment looked like a club in crisis reaching back to a familiar face in an attempt to spark a short‑term lift as they fought to remain in the Premier League.
Everton had been reeling financially, still reeling from a points deduction imposed less than a year and a half earlier, and they were perched just a single point above the relegation zone when Moyes stepped back onto the Goodison Park touchline. Fast forward to today, and the Toffees have settled into a brand‑new stadium and are entertaining ambitions that would have seemed laughable a few months ago. With the first Hill Dickinson Merseyside derby set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports, the conversation has shifted from survival to a genuine push for European qualification. The notion of Champions League football for Everton, let alone a realistic shot at the competition, would have drawn scoffs when Moyes first returned.
Since his original exit, the club had drifted further away from the top‑six places that grant access to Europe. Who could have imagined that simply reinstating the manager who guided Everton to their last appearance in a continental tournament two decades ago would reignite such hopes?
It would be unfair to credit Moyes alone; his résumé includes delivering West Ham United their sole European trophy, the 1965 Cup Winners' Cup, a feat that arguably required less financial firepower than the modern Premier League. Nevertheless, his experience on the continental stage cannot be ignored.
A victory over arch‑rivals Liverpool on Sunday would catapult Everton to within two points of the fifth‑place slot that guarantees a Champions League return. Since Moyes’ comeback, Everton have climbed to seventh in the league, sitting above traditional heavyweights such as Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur—clubs that have either participated in the Champions League this season or are currently occupying a Champions League berth. What makes this rise even more striking is the disparity in spending. United, Newcastle and Tottenham have each poured well over £100 million into their squads during the last two transfer windows, far outstripping Everton’s modest outlay.
Yet Moyes has managed to extract maximum value from the resources at his disposal, converting a team once earmarked for relegation into a credible European contender. A pivotal factor in this transformation has been an area that previously exposed Moyes’ tactical frailties: his away‑game record. Historically, since his departure from Manchester United in 2014, Moyes’ sides have struggled on the road, often failing to reach even a point per game. Since returning to Merseyside, however, Everton have become one of the most efficient travelling sides in the division.
Only Arsenal and Manchester City have amassed more points away from home, with Everton averaging 1.68 points per away match. This improvement contrasts sharply with Moyes’ earlier spells at West Ham, Sunderland and his brief tenure at Real Sociedad, where his teams rarely exceeded a single point per game on the road. The Toffees’ resilience away from Goodison has seen them snatch points at venues that traditionally intimidate opponents—Old Trafford, St James’ Park and Villa Park have all witnessed Everton walking away with unexpected draws or wins. While the away form has surged, Everton’s home performances have been less convincing.
Since the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the side has recorded just six Premier League victories on home turf, placing them 14th in the league’s home‑team table. Some observers attribute this dip to the inevitable growing‑pains of adjusting to a new arena.
Moyes himself has remarked that “teams moving into a new stadium almost always struggle at first,” a sentiment echoed by many who note that the open design of the new ground dilutes the intimidating atmosphere that once made Goodison Park a fortress. Statistically, Everton’s style of play shifts noticeably between venues. Away from home they adopt a more direct approach, attempting 107 more long passes than they do at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and they hold an average possession of 39.7 % compared with 47.6 % at home.
Interestingly, the goal output remains similar: 21 goals at home (with an expected goals, xG, of 20.46) versus 19 away (xG 22.82). Defensively, however, the higher possession at home makes them marginally more vulnerable; they have conceded only one extra goal at the new stadium, yet their expected goals conceded is almost four goals worse than on the road, suggesting a degree of luck in keeping the scoreline respectable. The takeaway for Moyes and his squad is clear: treat every match as if it were an away game, regardless of the venue.
The traditional mantra of approaching each fixture like a cup final should be tweaked for Everton—adopt the discipline, focus and tactical prudence of an away performance even when playing in front of your own fans. If they can sustain this mindset into the upcoming derby against Liverpool, the odds of securing a place in European competition will rise dramatically.
Should Everton manage to maintain their away‑game intensity and tighten up at home, they could achieve what seemed impossible at the season’s outset: restore European football to the blue half of Merseyside. Fans can catch the crucial Liverpool clash on Super Sunday at 1 pm on Sky Sports Main Event, and the excitement surrounding the Toffees’ unexpected resurgence shows no sign of fading.