David Moyes’ return to Everton didn’t proceed as planned as the Toffees succumbed to a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa on Wednesday evening. It was an outcome that left the Blues merely a point above the drop zone at the close of the night and prolonged their woeful streak to just one triumph in 12 Premier League encounters (D6, L5).
The final three league fixtures in that sequence all concluded in losses without netting a single goal, underscoring once again that it’s the Toffees’ underperforming offense that will be of serious concern for the returning Moyes. The gravity of their attacking troubles is highlighted by the fact they’re now just one of four teams in Premier League annals to have failed to score in 12 matches or more from their first 20.
A glimmer of hope for Everton, on the surface at least, could be that their next match is against Tottenham Hotspur, a side with seven losses in their past 11 league fixtures, including a setback to their fiercest rivals Arsenal on Wednesday night (2-1). That defeat implies Spurs enter this round nearer to the bottom three rather than the top four and with manager Ange Postecoglou reportedly on the brink of dismissal.
Wednesday’s distressing loss was Tottenham’s 11th defeat of the league term, equalling their highest at this stage of a single season in Premier League annals. Yet perhaps their head-to-head record at Goodison Park can lift morale, with none of their last 11 away league visits resulting in defeat (W3, D8), while another victory would see them achieve the double over the Toffees for the first time since 2017/18.
Players to monitor: Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite netted a late equalizer in this clash last season (2-2), but has been drawing attention for the wrong reasons recently with three yellow cards in his past four league outings. Former Toffee Richarlison made his return from injury for Spurs as a second-half substitute against Arsenal and troubled his former club last season with a brace at Goodison Park in that aforementioned draw.
Key statistic: Tottenham have been defeated in eight of their 31 Premier League matches under Ange Postecoglou when they’ve scored the first goal (26%) – the highest proportion of any permanent Spurs manager.