Everton

Image source, Getty Images

When European-pushing Everton and relegation-fighting West Ham United go head-to-head on Saturday, one thing's for sure: both teams will be going for broke.

We should expect minimal time-wasting and maximum goal-searching from both sides, who could do with three points to boost their pursuits.

Everton boss David Moyes will most likely turn to Beto to provide a goalscoring threat at London Stadium, the striker having started the Toffees' past six Premier League games after reclaiming his starting XI position off Thierno Barry.

It is fair to say Beto needed extra time to adjust to the English top-flight after completing a move from Serie A side Udinese in August 2023.

All you have to do is cast your mind back to his BBC Sport interview before the 2024-25 season, when he said: "I need to have people criticising me and I need to have haters" after scoring just five goals in his first season in England.

But how do the 28-year-old's recent statistics compare?

Well, Beto has scored seven Premier League goals from just 19 shots in 2026 - registering a shot conversion rate of 37% and averaging a league goal every 81 minutes.

Prior to 2026, he had scored just 12 goals from 111 shots - registering a shot conversion rate of 11% and averaging a league goal every 271 minutes.

Is it the Moyes effect? Is it simply time spent maturing in the Premier League.

Whatever is is, the Guinea-Bissau international appears to be flourishing at long last.

Image source, Getty Images

Jarrad Branthwaite is unlikely to feature again this season due to a hamstring injury and Everton fans are keen to see him recover fully ready for next season.

The 23-year-old missed a lengthy period from August to January with a hamstring complaint and was carried off in Sunday's Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool.

Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, Everton fan, Courtney said: "He's been playing catch-up with the rest of the team, so I think they've given him the rest of the season off then see where he's at. It's a hamstring injury. Everyone famously goes back to Michael Owen for Liverpool. He was never the same player after that. You have to treat it properly and get it right."

The Paddock Blues Podcast host Paul Brown added: "He came back so seamlessly, he didn't look like he was unfit or struggling to keep up with everyone."

Courtney replied: "He's a Rolls-Royce of a footballer, I thought he was fantastic against Liverpool. I think he made a better effort than the others. I thought he was fantastic, I really did."

Listen on BBC Sounds here for the full chat.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on how big of a blow Jarrad Branthwaite's injury is to Everton as they chase European football? Is this more of a worry with his recent injury history?

Here are some of your comments:

Andy: Glad it is not serious. Hopefully Branthwaite will be fit and ready to go next season. I'm happy in a sense that he didn't make the England squad last time round, as missing out on a World Cup squad place now would have been a killer.

Colin: You've got to feel sorry for him after the first injury he suffered that kept him out for so long. He'll be missed by all the fans, and we wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him in action next season.

Paul: It's a huge blow for Branthwaite to be out again, but we have Michael Keane to step in, and he has had a great season when called upon. Let Branthwaite recover now and hopefully he will be fit to start next season.

Thomas: He's been missing for a sizeable chunk of the season already. We've proven we can get results without him. I really wanted him to be the future of this club, but with his injury record, we just can't rely on him.

Iain: Although it's not exactly ideal, given how much of the season Jarrad has already missed, I'm not as worried about it as I might have been in previous seasons. Keane did a fantastic job before Jarrad came back from injury, and I've got no doubt he will step up once again. It leaves us a little thin on options, but with only five games left, I think we will be able to cope.

Keith: It's a terrible blow and my heart goes out to Jarrad. You could see he was distraught, which shows just how much he wanted to be in that blue shirt, fighting for a European spot. Best wishes to JB. Here's to next season when you'll be back bossing that defence and getting your much deserved England call up.

Image source, Getty Images

Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite is "unlikely" to feature again for the Toffees this season due to a hamstring injury sustained in the 2-1 defeat by Liverpool on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was in tears as he left the pitch on a stretcher in the 87th minute and was seen leaving on crutches, with boss David Moyes saying after the match he was concerned the injury "could be serious".

Branthwaite missed the first five months of the season - having hamstring surgery in October - and returned to the side in January.

However, in a statement released on Wednesday the club said his latest injury is unrelated and a scan shows he does not require an operation.

How big a blow is this to the Toffees as they chase European football? Is this more of a worry with is recent injury history?

Get in touch with your views here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

On Sunday I was at the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton fans were left devastated by Virgil van Dijk stealing all three points in the 100th minute. That header from the Dutch master was probably enough to secure Champions League football for next season.

A major rebuild, or maybe reset, is needed by Arne Slot but he has just about delivered the lower limit of acceptability now, probably ensuring his continued employment.

For the Blues, this day should represent something bigger than a Merseyside derby. The stunning new stadium, the noise, the passion and above all the numbers there, underlined that Everton now have the chance to become one of the very top clubs again. That stadium filled with 53,000 fans will be a huge incentive for players to come.

With David Moyes in charge the future is not only looking secure but exhilarating. After just over a year, Everton are challenging for a European place instead of fighting against relegation year after year. This summer will be bring reinforcements, a full-back, another centre midfielder and a striker.

Get these right and the Hill Dickinson will be among the most feared – and to some of us enjoyable – places to watch football anywhere.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Mike Richards
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

An opportunity missed. It's as simple as that.

The players will have woken up on Monday morning wondering where it went wrong against an average Liverpool side.

The officiating was questionable, but that was only part of the story.

The day felt primed for an Everton win. Glorious spring sunshine, a coach welcome for the ages and an atmosphere within Hill Dickinson Stadium to match.

The players seemed to feed off the fans early on, with an intensity and purpose that matched the energetic Evertonians.

Sadly, the disallowed Iliman Ndiaye goal, shortly followed by the Liverpool opener, sucked the air out of the stadium, meaning the remainder of the half left us hoping not to concede another.

Everton have shown plenty of heart this season, coming from behind to pick up points.

The intent shown at the beginning of the second half was indicative of that resilience, with the Beto equaliser not only deserved, but expected.

Our disappointment stems from not being able to kick on and ultimately test Freddie Woodman in the Liverpool goal.

The loss of the inspired Beto and – more concerning – the dominant Jarrad Branthwaite, were two pivotal moments that shifted the momentum in the game. The cost of defeat certainly weighs heavy.

The winner was a sickener. There's no other way to describe it. Naivety in our defensive set-up for their corner in allowing one of only two threats to win the header was unforgivable.

Jordan Pickford was left unprotected by his defenders. It's a lesson we seem to not learn from regularly.

A crumb of consolation is that the better side lost. Something the players can take heart from.

It's imperative we dust ourselves down before this weekend's trip to West Ham. The assault on the European places is still very much alive.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

Everton have emerged as leading contenders to sign Middlesbrough's 23-year-old English midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Former Everton goalkeeper Sander Westerveld says David Moyes has changed the fortunes of the club "almost by himself".

Despite a late defeat in Sunday's Merseyside derby, the Toffees are set to hit the 50-point mark for the first time since 2020-21 under Carlo Ancelotti and are still very much in the mix for European qualification.

"You talk about managers of the season and of course Regis Le Bris at Sunderland has done a fantastic job or Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola are up there if they win the league," Westerveld told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"But, I think David Moyes is definitely one of the coaches of the season.

"If you look at the last few seasons for Everton - battling relegation - and then Moyes comes back in and it's just like he ended last time. In his first spell he was always battling for European football with strong squads.

"Almost by himself he has changed this team around. If they had won yesterday they would be genuine contenders for the Champions League. They are still up there, it's still only a couple of points.

"He has done an amazing job and they are a totally different team to what they were at the beginning of the season."

Listen to the full chat from 08:30 on BBC Sounds

Explore more Everton content on BBC Sounds

Everton midfielder Dwight McNeil has claimed responsibility for Liverpool's first goal in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.

The Reds defeated Everton 2-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium, courtesy of a last-minute winner from Virgil van Dijk, and McNeil says his error leading to Mohamed Salah's opener made it more difficult for his side to secure a victory.

"I thought we were the better team - a last-minute goal and my moment in giving the ball away [in the build-up to Salah's strike], and that's what happens at this level against Liverpool – they punish you," McNeil told BBC Radio Merseyside after the match.

"I know that was my fault leading to the goal which makes it's harder to get back into the game. We grew back into it and got the equaliser and I thought we going to go on and win it, but it was just that final moment.

"We know how good they are as a team, they won the league last year, so for us to be competing with them shows the big way we've come along in the last few years. It was disappointing the way we lost it but there's still plenty more points to play for.

"As a group, we've still got massive games to come. We wanted to get the win here but now we've got to look forward because there's a massive end to the season."

Listen to more from McNeil on BBC Sounds here or by clicking play on the clip above

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Everton and Liverpool.

Everton fans

Paul: Disappointed with the result, but proud of the performance and I felt we deserved more. Credit to David Moyes as he was obviously going for the win whereas in previous seasons he was too conservative. If we had more class up front, then we would have got what we deserved.

Ron: No quality on our subs bench, Thierno Barry was particularly poor. Hope Jarrad Branthwaite's injury is not serious. We lack intensity when we really should be pushing the opposition. A chance lost.

Alex: Everton should be proud of that performance. We are a totally different side to the one that has struggled season after season. Without VAR to disallow Iliman Ndiaye's goal, we would've been 1-0 up. It could've been very different. However, we never looked like scoring when Beto went off injured. The subs were totally ineffective. Barry is not a Premier League-quality striker. Overall, we didn't deserve to lose the match on the balance of play.

Timothy: Everton played well for 85 minutes, but they ran out of steam. The Toffees need to work on defending corners and crosses - a Jordan Pickford weakness.

Liverpool fans

Chris: Great performance and a great result. I just want to give a shout-out to Curtis Jones, who played at full-back and he was awesome. He tried to push Liverpool forward from that position. Throughout the game he was always looking for a forward pass.

Philip: Adequate, but nothing more. We rode our luck at times and at the business end we remain too lethargic. We have a lot of work ahead of us for the 2026-27 campaign.

Wayne: They got the three points and on balance Liverpool were the better team. Today has shown we can't let Andy Robertson walk away. He is still the best left-back we have!

Keith: Thought after early Everton energy Liverpool largely controlled the game. After Florian Wirtz went off, we lost a bit of that, but unlike a lot of this season we stayed strong. The last-minute winner was as sweet as honey. That should secure us Champions League football next season, but major questions remain as to why we have struggled so much this year.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal

• Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland

• Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley

• Everton 1-2 Liverpool

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

From the moment the team buses were welcomed in through clouds of blue smoke as Everton fans lined the streets, there was a sense of excitement about this one as Everton sensed that Liverpool were there for the taking.

Everton manager David Moyes named an unchanged side and his team were far more energetic in the early stages but were guilty of wastefulness, with Beto in particular spurning a massive opportunity when he was through on goal.

The noise inside the stadium was quite something when Iliman Ndiaye scored, but the decision to disallow the goal for offside deflated the players and the fans and Liverpool showed their quality when Mohamed Salah finished clinically.

Moyes' side deserve credit for finding a way back into the game, with Beto causing Liverpool problems all afternoon until he was forced off with concussion in the 73rd minute.

But yet again Everton were on the wrong end of a stoppage-time winner from Liverpool and that will sting massively.

Moyes has won only four of his 41 Premier League games against Liverpool.

His points-per-game rate of 0.54 is the lowest against any team in his managerial career in the competition.

Everton still have a chance of securing European football for next season and look set to hit the 50-point mark for the first time since 2020-21 under Carlo Ancelotti, but this defeat will hurt more than most.

Everton manager David Moyes speaking to Sky Sports: "I thought the players played great today, they didn't get the result they deserved. We deserved more from it than we did. They did a great job. Disappointed with the last goal but in the main the players did a brilliant job.

On the disallowed goal: "The game was quite chaotic. In that period, it looked like a good goal for me but we trust the people that they got it right. We're not here to make any excuses, we should have got more, we didn't."

On Jarrad Branthwaite's injury: "It doesn't look great, it caused problems because we had already made a couple of subs so we were down to our last one. Jarrad was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch, I thought he played so well."

On losing to Liverpool: "There's no shame in how we performed today, we're playing against one of the teams in the league who expect to be challenging for Champions League and trophies. I think we gave them a good run for their money. I want this team to always be competitive. They didn't have it their own way."

Did you know?

• Everton's David Moyes has won just four of his 41 Premier League games against Liverpool (D10 L27). His points-per-game rate of 0.54 against the Reds is his lowest against any opponent in his managerial career in the competition.

• Beto has scored in three (or more) consecutive Premier League appearances for just the second time, after a run of four in a row in February 2025 - which also included a goal at home to Liverpool.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

David Moyes names an unchanged Everton side from the team that drew 2-2 at Brentford last weekend.

Everton XI: Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall; McNeil, Ndiaye, Beto

Subs: Travers, Patterson, Keane, Barry, George, Dibling, Alcaraz, Rohl, Iroegbunam.

For Liverpool, Arne Slot makes four changes from their defeat to Paris St-Germain with Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo all coming in.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak

Subs: Woodman, Pesci, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Frimpong, Nyoni, Ngumoha.

I actually thought Liverpool did OK against Paris St-Germain in midweek and had a period where they took the game to them, even if they did not get the result they needed.

Now this season is all about finishing in the top five for Arne Slot, but Everton are a good side and, if they win this, they can reel Liverpool in.

An Everton win was actually my first thought here, but I've changed my mind. I'm going to sit on the fence instead.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Sunderland

• Everton v Liverpool

• Nottingham Forest v Burnley

• Man City v Arsenal (16:30 BST)

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction to the early games here and the late match here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Liverpool" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

The first Merseyside derby to be played at Hill Dickinson Stadium, this Sunday (14:00 BST), sees these old rivals closer to each other in the league table than many would have predicted at this stage of the season. BBC Sport looks at the key themes around the fixture.

Beto hits run of goalscoring form

Everton's recent record against Liverpool may be poor but on paper this appears to be an excellent chance to notch up a rare win over their cross-city rivals. The Toffees are full of confidence and lie just five points behind the Reds, who sit in a Champions League spot, as they look to secure European football for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

But getting three points off Liverpool is a task that they have found incredibly hard of late. Everton won six of their first 15 Premier League meetings between 1992 and 1999, but since the turn of the century they have managed a paltry six victories in their subsequent 52 top-flight derbies.

Only once in the last 13 seasons have the Blues been within five points of Liverpool after 32 matches of a campaign.

If they do manage to secure the bragging rights it will mark the first time David Moyes' side have won three successive matches at their new home.

They have been indebted of late to the goals of much-maligned striker Beto. Only Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (seven) has been involved in more top-flight goals since the end of February than the Guinea-Bissau striker's five, with four goals and one assist.

He puts his upturn in form down to hard work. "I know people in my position would have given up," he says. "Me? Even if I go to the last game of the season and I only have one goal to my name, I will still be there, putting in everything I have to make it right."

Reds seeking end-of-season boost

Liverpool's final chance of silverware this season was extinguished on Tuesday as they tamely bowed out of the Champions League to a Paris Saint-Germain side who proved to be a class apart over both legs.

It was their 17th defeat of a disappointing season and further heaped pressure on boss Arne Slot. He was left fuming that they were on the wrong end of a VAR call, which he feels has been a regular theme throughout the campaign. "I'm not surprised," Slot said after their 64th-minute spot-kick was overturned on review. "So many decisions have gone against us this season."

To further compound their frustrations, top scorer Hugo Ekitike has been ruled out for the season with a serious Achilles injury. Slot must now pick his players up and focus on securing Champions League football.

With this being their first match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Reds have the chance to become the first team to win at 60 different Premier League grounds having managed to do so at 59 of the 61 they have played at so far. For quiz fans, Kenilworth Road and Bloomfield Road are the ones they have still to conquer.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Everton striker Wayne Rooney believes his old club are in better form than Merseyside rivals Liverpool and should go into Sunday's derby with "a bit of arrogance about them".

It is Liverpool's first trip to the Toffees' new Hill Dickinson Stadium and David Moyes' side could close the gap to Arne Slot's in fifth to just two points with a win.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former Everton player said: "Derby week's always horrible for Evertonians. Maybe not this one because Everton are in decent form, but it's not nice.

"Everton have done well. I think I half-expected them to be better with Moyesy [David Moyes] and they've done well this season. And Liverpool haven't done so well and are struggling a bit. This is one where Everton have to have a bit of arrogance about them.

"I think Everton over the last few months have been the better team and the new stadium, the atmosphere's been great, so go in there with a bit of belief that you can win."

MMA fighter and Liverpool fan Paddy Pimblett was a guest on the podcast and said: "Moyes just does something for Everton. I don't know what it is, he just does something."

On what Moyes brings to the club, Rooney said: "He's not over-complicated. Sometimes in football, you can over-complicate it. Probably in fighting as well, you can think about it too much rather than doing your job that's right there in front of you, and that's what he's done."

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds