David Moyes: How Everton boss turned club around and made them Premier League's in-form team
2025-02-16
Category: sports

One point clear of the Premier League relegation zone and with just three wins in 19 matches, Everton were in a perilous position when David Moyes was reappointed as manager on 11 January.A little over a month later, however, the Merseyside club are suddenly the in-form team in the top flight.Saturday's victory at Crystal Palace means Moyes has picked up 13 points since returning to Goodison Park - with no team having secured more in that time (Arsenal are also on 13).The Scot's tally of four wins in six league matches is also more than his predecessor Sean Dyche managed in the 19 games before his dismissal.That stunning resurgence has lifted Everton 13 points above the bottom three, and only seven points below the top half, with 13 games of the 2024-25 season left to play.It would take an extraordinary set of results for the Toffees to slip back into the relegation picture, and fans can surely start to look forward to watching top-flight football at their new stadium on Bramley Moore Dock next season."It was a great win because for large parts we weren't at our best," Moyes told BBC Match of the Day after the 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park. "I thought Crystal Palace were on top, but thankfully we got the three points."Everton have had a difficult period, but I certainly think there's light at the end of the tunnel now."
Toffees rediscovering scoring touch
Even the most optimistic Everton supporters could not have expected such a remarkable revival under Moyes, who took charge of more than 500 games during an 11-year spell at the club between 2002 and 2013.Before his return, the Toffees had managed only 15 goals in 19 league matches - the fourth-lowest tally in their history - while their expected goals (xG) tally of 18.33 was the lowest in the division.In just six league games under Moyes they have already managed 12 goals - from an xG of 8.12.That improvement is made all the more impressive by a personnel crisis that left them without nine first-team players against Palace, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Iliman Ndiaye and the suspended Abdoulaye Doucoure - who missed the trip to London after his celebrations in front of Liverpool supporters at the end of Wednesday's dramatic Merseyside derby."Since the manager has come in we have definitely improved," defender James Tarkowski told Sky Sports. "Winning and scoring goals brings [the belief] back."We were low on numbers today, with all the emotions of Wednesday [but] we stuck at it and got the win."When asked to shed light on Everton's upturn in form, Moyes said: "I don't know if there's any secret. Sometimes in football you're given opportunities and you have to take your chance."There's a much better togetherness with the supporters and the players. This is certainly a club which thrives off its support."Hopefully we're getting them all back on side again."
In-form Beto firing when it matters
No player epitomises the Toffees' improvement quite like Beto, who continued his fine form with another goal at Selhurst Park.The Guinea-Bissau striker's opener in south London was his fourth goal in three league games - as many as he managed in 42 matches under Dyche.The 27-year-old joined Everton from Udinese in August 2023 for a fee reportedly worth up to Â£30m, but scored only three goals in 30 top-flight appearances as he struggled to adjust to life in England.After opening his account for the 2024-25 campaign in a 1-1 draw with Fulham in October, Beto then went nine league games without a goal before netting a double at home to Leicester City earlier this month.He sent Goodison Park wild with a calmly-taken opener in the derby before opening the scoring at Palace with a similarly composed finish.With a hamstring injury ruling out Calvert-Lewin for the rest of the season, Beto could hardly have picked a better time to hit a purple patch."What a week it has been," Beto said in an interview with Match of the Day. "I'm happy to score, [as] last season I wasn't so confident."Now I feel all my training, all my mental work and all the work I do with my team-mates is paying off. I believe that I belong in the Premier League and I'm a Premier League player."Nobody is more pleased with Beto's goalscoring exploits than his manager, who believes the forward is still "getting better" as Everton climb the table."His chances have come through injuries [to other players]," Moyes said. "He probably saw a chance to play half a dozen games or so."It was down to him to show if he was capable. I'm really pleased for him."
Everton's league results since Moyes' return
15 January: Everton 0-1 Aston Villa19 January: Everton 3-2 Tottenham25 January: Brighton 0-1 Everton1 February: Everton 4-0 Leicester12 February: Everton 2-2 Liverpool15 February: Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton