Everton 2024-25 season overview: Slow start, strong finish

After enduring a torrid start to Goodison Park’s farewell season under Sean Dyche, Everton made a bold decision to part ways with the manager and reappoint former boss David Moyes. Following his last spell with West Ham United, ,many thought the Scottish manager was out of his tactical depth with the risk of the move potentially backfiring, but the club’s new owners, the Friedkin Group, pulled off a masterstroke.

Under Moyes, the Toffees surged into a run of form that mirrored the consistency of a side pushing for European qualification, ending the campaign with renewed belief and momentum among fans with Everton tickets.

In this article, we provide an overview of Everton’s 2024–25 season — a campaign that witnessed David Moyes engineer a spirited turnaround, saw Beto enjoy a remarkable resurgence unlike anything seen before, and featured an emotional farewell to Goodison Park, with the final game against Southampton marking the end of the club’s 133-year stay at their historic ground.

Season overview — turnaround under Moyes

David Moyes returned to Everton in January, replacing Sean Dyche with the club just one point above the relegation zone after 19 games. Following a deflating 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa in his early days, Moyes admitted the task ahead was daunting. He spoke candidly about the “huge challenge” and Everton’s desperate need to inject quality, especially in areas that could help “craft and finish goals.” His declaration that he was “no magician” underlined the reality check—progress would be slow.

But what followed stunned even Moyes. Everton went on a nine-match unbeaten run in his first two months, although four of their last five games in that spell ended as draws. It marked their longest such run since 2013, when they were chasing a Champions League spot under Roberto Martínez.

Moyes’ first 10 league matches yielded 17 points—an average that would equate to a 65-point season if sustained. In just half a campaign, he nearly doubled Dyche’s tally, with Everton finishing on 48 points—31 of which came under Moyes. The turnaround was dramatic. When Moyes arrived, the Toffees were 16th on 17 points. From then on, they secured 30 points from 20 matches, climbing to a 13th-place finish.

Since that thrilling 3-2 win over Tottenham on 19 January, only four Premier League teams collected more points than Everton (28). Under Moyes, the connection between the fans and the squad was revived. Four wins in his opening six matches pulled them clear of danger before a warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi.

There were rough patches—just one win in 10 league games between February and early May—but they finished with momentum, closing the season with a strong win at Newcastle and they also left fans with Fulham tickets disappointed at Craven Cottage. Everton wrapped things up with a 2-0 farewell victory at Goodison against Southampton.

If Everton’s season had begun the day Moyes took charge, they still would have comfortably avoided the drop as his impact was nothing short of transformational.

Goalscoring woes

Everton have never been known for free-flowing, high-scoring football. Instead, their identity has often been built around a rock-solid defensive structure.

Conceding just 44 goals last season, the Toffees were more adept at keeping goals out than putting them in—a factor that heavily contributed to their poor start to the campaign. Injuries to key striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin didn’t help either, further exposing the team’s attacking frailties. However, David Moyes’ appointment offered a slight reprieve, injecting some much-needed sharpness into a previously lacklustre attack.

Despite the late-season improvement, Everton only managed a modest 42 goals in 38 Premier League games—the lowest tally among all 17 teams that avoided relegation. Only the demoted trio of Ipswich Town (36), Leicester City (32), and Southampton (26) scored fewer.

There are two possible ways to interpret this poor return: either the tactical setup doesn’t allow enough penetration into the final third, or the lack of goals stems from a shortage of firepower—or perhaps a combination of both.

No Everton player reached double digits in either goals or assists. If the club is to improve on their 13th-place finish, they must recruit creative and clinical players who can provide a consistent threat in the final third.

Beto and Iliman Ndiaye were arguably Everton’s brightest attacking sparks, combining for 17 goals. Ndiaye led the scoring chart with nine, while Beto enjoyed a resurgence, netting eight to finish as the second-highest scorer.

Dwight McNeil topped the assist chart with eight, but other centre-forwards like Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja failed to register a single goal throughout the season.

With ambitions of breaking into the top ten next season, reinforcing the attack is now non-negotiable. Stay tuned to Football Talk for regular updates as Everton look to bolster their squad this summer.

Best player

Even at 35, Idrissa Gana Gueye continues to be a cornerstone of Everton’s midfield, demonstrating his enduring quality with another outstanding season. Leading the team in both tackles and interceptions, his influence has remained undiminished—he’s truly aged like fine wine. With his contract set to expire this summer, offering him a new deal is nothing short of essential.

Gueye was deservedly crowned Everton Men’s Player of the Season following a campaign where he once again anchored the midfield with authority. The Senegalese international not only topped the Premier League charts for tackles but also outperformed every player across Europe’s top five leagues in that metric—a staggering feat at any age.

While his current deal is up, reports suggest the veteran midfielder is expected to remain at Goodison Park for at least another year, with an option for a further extension. Loved by fans and respected by teammates, Gana’s ever-present smile and relentless engine have made him both a cult figure and a leader in the dressing room—evidenced by his teammates also voting him their Player of the Season.

Most improved player

Having endured a frustrating spell under Sean Dyche, Beto is now thriving at Everton, hitting a rich vein of form under David Moyes with four goals in his last three Premier League appearances ahead of Saturday’s clash with Manchester United. Matt Furniss of Opta Analyst delves into the data behind the striker’s resurgence.

The 27-year-old hasn’t forgotten the criticism that dogged him in his early months at Goodison Park. He’s admitted to saving ‘notes’ from social media as fuel for motivation. ‘I have notes. I have screenshots from Facebook, YouTube – when they say something like I’m not good enough or something like that. I say ‘OK’, I take a screenshot, I put it on my notes, and I read it,’ he said in an interview last summer.

Given his slow start and the weight of expectation following his move from Udinese in August 2023, combined with fan frustration during a turbulent season marked by points deductions, Beto had plenty of negative commentary to choose from.

But that’s all changed under Moyes. The Guinea-Bissau international has found his rhythm and confidence, ending the campaign as Everton’s second-highest Premier League goalscorer behind Iliman Ndiaye, with nine top-flight goals. Across all competitions, his tally stood at 12—his best return since arriving from Serie A, marking a personal milestone in his Everton career.

Everton bid farewell to Goodison Park

The pulsating 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Goodison Park may have had all the hallmarks of a match-of-the-season contender, but it was Everton’s emotional final men’s fixture at the famous old ground that will live longest in the memory of the Toffees faithful.

On a day drenched in nostalgia and sunshine, Everton bid farewell to Goodison Park in perfect fashion. A brace from Iliman Ndiaye secured a 2-0 win over relegated Southampton, bringing the curtain down on 133 years of footballing history at the Grand Old Lady.

Supporters turned out in their thousands long before kick-off, flooding the surrounding streets in a sea of blue to say one last goodbye before the men’s senior side moves to the 52,888-capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season. Goodison Park will transition into the new home for Everton’s women’s team.

With the stands packed and emotions high, David Moyes’ men delivered. Ndiaye opened the scoring with a sublime finish into the bottom corner after just six minutes, sending the home crowd into raptures. Though Beto had two goals ruled out for offside, Everton doubled their lead before the break, with Ndiaye rounding Aaron Ramsdale in stoppage time to slot home his second.

The second half was less eventful, with just one Everton shot on target, but Jordan Pickford’s late save from Cameron Archer ensured the final goal at Goodison was scored by a Toffees player.

It marked Everton’s 1,538th win in their 2,789th match at Goodison Park across all competitions (D660 L591), preserving their 13th-place finish in the Premier League. The victory also saw Southampton become the most-beaten opposition at the stadium in Premier League history.

It was a fitting farewell to one of English football’s most iconic venues.