When David Moyes returned to Everton more than eleven years after his initial departure, many observers were quick to dismiss the appointment as a nostalgic stunt by a club in crisis. At the time, the Toffees were grappling with severe financial strain and were still reeling from a points deduction imposed less than a year and a half earlier.
They were perched just one point above the relegation zone when Moyes stepped back onto the Goodison Park touchline. Fast forward to today, and the situation could not be more different. Everton have relocated to a brand‑new stadium, have set their sights on a European qualification race, and are about to contest their first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Any talk of Champions League ambitions would have seemed laughable when Moyes first walked back through the club’s doors. Since his original exit, Everton had drifted further away from the top‑six positions that grant access to Europe. Yet, reinstating the manager who guided the club to its most recent appearance in continental competition two decades ago appears to have sparked a revival.
It would be unfair to credit Moyes alone; after all, he also delivered West Ham United their sole European trophy, a feat that arguably presented a less daunting challenge. Nevertheless, his influence is undeniable. 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’s comeback, the Toffees have climbed to seventh place in the Premier League, sitting above traditional powerhouses such as Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur – all clubs that have either competed in or currently occupy Champions League places. What makes this ascent even more striking is the financial context. United, Newcastle and Tottenham have each spent well over £100 million in the last two transfer windows, far exceeding Everton’s outlay. Despite a comparatively modest budget, Moyes has maximised the resources at his disposal, transforming a side that was once labelled a relegation candidate into a genuine European hopeful.
A pivotal element of this transformation has been an improvement in a long‑standing weakness: away form. Historically, Moyes’s teams have struggled on the road, a trend that persisted after his departure from Manchester United in 2014. Since his return to Merseyside, however, Everton have become one of the most efficient away sides in the league.
Only Arsenal and Manchester City have amassed more points per game on their travels, with Everton averaging 1.68 points per away match. This is the only other period in Moyes’s managerial career where his away record eclipses his home record, the previous instance being his brief stint at Manchester United.
At clubs such as Real Sociedad, Sunderland and during both spells at West Ham, his teams rarely reached even a single point per game away from home. The current Toffees, by contrast, have secured points at venues that many would consider fortress‑like – Old Trafford, St James’ Park and Villa Park have all witnessed Everton walk away with valuable results. While the Toffees have become difficult to break down, they have not been prolific scorers. This season, Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall leads the scoring charts with just seven goals.
Yet, Moyes has organised his side to be defensively resilient, a strategy that has paid dividends in hostile stadiums. The flip side of this success story is the team’s home form, which has been less convincing. At the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton have recorded only six Premier League victories, placing them 14th in the league’s home‑games table. Moyes himself has acknowledged that teams moving into a new stadium often experience an adjustment period.
He has been quoted saying, "If you look back, all the teams that move into a new stadium – I think just about them all have struggled." The new arena’s design, with a more open bowl and less acoustically intense stands, may have diluted the intimidating atmosphere that Goodison Park once provided. The reduced vocal pressure could make the pitch feel less oppressive for visiting players.
Statistically, Everton’s style of play shifts noticeably between home and away fixtures. Away from home they adopt a more direct approach, attempting 107 more long passes than they do at Hill Dickinson. Their possession rate drops to 39.7% on the road, compared with 47.6% at home. Interestingly, the change in tactics does not dramatically affect their goal output: they have scored 21 goals at home (expected goals, xG, of 20.46) and 19 goals away (xG of 22.82).
However, the higher possession percentages at home appear to expose them defensively. Although they have conceded only one more goal at the new stadium than away, their expected goals conceded at Hill Dickinson are nearly four goals worse than on the road.
This suggests that when Everton dominate possession, they become vulnerable to losing the ball in dangerous areas, allowing opponents to create high‑quality chances. As the season draws to a close, the common mantra that "every game is a cup final" resonates across the league.
For Moyes and Everton, the advice might be tweaked: treat every match as if it were an away game, regardless of venue. Applying that mindset to the upcoming derby against Liverpool could be the catalyst that propels the Toffees into the European spots they now seem poised to contest. If they can sustain this blend of defensive solidity, tactical flexibility and the mental edge that has defined their away performances, there is a realistic chance that Moyes will achieve what looked impossible at the start of the campaign – returning European football to the blue half of Merseyside. The derby, broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event at 1 pm on Super Sunday, will be a crucial test of whether Everton can translate their road‑winning form into the home environment of the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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