David Moyes' second spell at Everton began eleven and a half years after his first departure, and at the time many pundits dismissed it as a nostalgic stunt by a club fighting for survival. Everton were reeling financially, still nursing a points deduction imposed less than a year and a half earlier, and when Moyes stepped back onto the Goodison Park touchline the team were perched just one point above the relegation zone.
Fast forward to the present day: the Toffees have moved into a brand‑new stadium, the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and are now eyeing a place in European competition as they prepare for their first Merseyside derby in the new arena, broadcast live on Sky Sports. When Moyes first left Everton, the club was already drifting away from the top‑four and Champions League places that had seemed within reach a decade earlier.
The idea that the club could once again flirt with European qualification was almost laughable. Yet the appointment of the manager who led Everton to their most recent Europa League campaign twenty years ago has sparked a remarkable turnaround. It would be unfair to credit Moyes alone; he also guided West Ham United to their sole European trophy, the 1965 Cup Winners' Cup, a feat that required a very different set of resources. Nonetheless, his return has coincided with a surge in form that has taken Everton from relegation candidates to genuine European hopefuls.
A victory over arch‑rivals Liverpool on Sunday would lift Everton to just two points shy of the fifth‑place slot that guarantees a Champions League return. Since Moyes' comeback, Everton have climbed to seventh in the Premier League, sitting above traditional powerhouses such as Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – all clubs that have either recently featured in the Champions League or are currently occupying its qualifying spots.
Those rivals have outspent Everton by well over £100 million across the last two transfer windows, yet Moyes has maximised the limited squad at his disposal, turning a modest budget into a competitive edge. One of the most striking aspects of Moyes' impact has been the improvement in Everton's away form – an area that had historically been a weakness for him, especially after his 2014 exit from Manchester United. On the road, Everton now rank second only to Arsenal and Manchester City in points per game, averaging 1.68 points away from home. This is the only other period in Moyes' managerial career where his away record has eclipsed his home performance, the previous instance being his brief spell at Manchester United.
At his former clubs West Ham and Sunderland, and during his time at Real Sociedad, his teams rarely achieved more than a point per game away from their own stadiums. Everton's defensive solidity has underpinned this road success. With strikerless efficiency – Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall leading the scoring charts with just seven goals – Moyes has organised his side to be difficult to break down.
The result has been surprise points taken at some of the league's most intimidating venues: Old Trafford, St James' Park and Villa Park have all witnessed Everton snatch valuable draws or wins, leaving opponents stunned. However, the flip side of this story is Everton's home record at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Despite their impressive away exploits, the Toffees have managed only six Premier League victories on home soil, placing them 14th in the league's home‑team table. Some observers attribute this to the growing pains of a new stadium. Moyes himself has remarked that teams moving into fresh arenas often struggle initially, noting that the atmosphere at Goodison Park – a compact, intimidating bowl – has been replaced by a more open design that dilutes crowd noise and reduces the psychological edge for visiting sides. Statistically, Everton's style of play shifts dramatically depending on the venue.
Away from home they adopt a direct, long‑ball approach, attempting 107 more long passes than at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and they maintain a lower possession rate of 39.7 % compared with 47.6 % at home. Paradoxically, their goal‑scoring output is almost identical in both settings – 21 goals at home (xG 20.46) and 19 away (xG 22.82) – suggesting that the change in tactics does not hinder their ability to find the net. Defensively, the higher possession at home appears to make Everton more vulnerable.
While they have conceded only one extra goal in the stadium compared with away fixtures, their expected goals against (xGA) is nearly four goals worse at Hill Dickinson, indicating that they are allowing higher‑quality chances. The extra time spent defending in dangerous areas likely stems from the team being more committed to retaining the ball, which can invite pressure from opponents. As the season reaches its climax, the oft‑repeated mantra that "every game is a cup final" must be refined for Everton under Moyes.
The Toffees should approach each match as if it were an away game – disciplined, compact, and ready to exploit counter‑attacking opportunities – regardless of whether they are playing at Anfield, the Etihad, or their own new ground. Applying this mindset to the upcoming derby against Liverpool could be the catalyst that propels Everton into the European places that seemed unattainable at the start of the campaign.
If Moyes can instil this away‑game mentality consistently, there is a realistic chance that Everton will rewrite the narrative of the season, delivering European football back to the blue half of Merseyside. Fans can catch the pivotal showdown 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.