Everton

Mike Richards
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

The dread and anxiety that occupies an Evertonian's mind during derby week is all too familiar and seemingly never subsides from season to season.

So often, we take the still relatively short trip in hope rather than expectation, with the apparent curse that encases our once home still very much alive.

With the manager's appalling record at Anfield - combined with the club's - you would be forgiven for thinking this weekend's renewal of rivalries will go the same way as so many others in recent times.

However, this Everton feels far removed from many of those sides that have gone before.

It may simply be misplaced enthusiasm and early-season vigour, but indications point to an Everton side that carries serious attacking threat, with a sprinkle of genius thrown in for good measure.

Given the newly acquired attacking talents of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, combined with the fleet-footed and ever-dangerous Iliman Ndiaye, there is a belief this Everton attack can ask questions of most, if not all sides in the league.

We have looked for a moment of magic or piece of individual brilliance at Anfield on so many occasions - and on so many occasions we have simply fallen short.

Defeat has so often felt inevitable after falling behind, but now that is not the case.

Saturday's outcome will not define our season. Our opponents have spent £450m in one transfer window, which simply cannot be ignored.

Fans are not getting carried away - and the hype train certainly has not left the station - but there is a restored belief among fans that we are a club moving in the right direction.

Whether it will be enough on Saturday remains to be seen, but when fans and players are aligned, magical things can happen.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

Everton may enter the free transfer market for a full-back if their injury problems continue. (Football Insider), external

They considered a move for Sergio Reguilon over the summer alongside West Ham and Nottingham Forest, with the 28-year-old Spain full-back a free agent after leaving Tottenham.

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Briony Bragg
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

At the end of match four last season, Everton were at the bottom of the Premier League with zero points after four straight defeats.

So to be on seven points, feeling incredibly disappointed for the draw with Aston Villa (who had beaten us 3-2 last year after we were two goals up) shows the enormity of the progress that has been made in such a short space of time.

Villa may be on a disappointing run at the moment, but on paper they are a great team, littered with international players with a fantastic manager. It really is just that lack of quality up front holding Everton back.

Beto, for all his hard work, looks like he will never be without his faults, and Thierno Barry is much still a work in progress. It was good to see Merlin Rohl get his first minutes in, and though they were not utilised, some good options on the bench in Tyler Dibling and Carlos Alcaraz will likely be used for the Carabao Cup game at Wolves in a couple of weeks.

It really was a much better performance than that produced against Brighton, in a game which the Toffees won 2-0.

This is a different type of Everton, who are not trying to hang on to the point in these types of games but who continue to push for the win, and realistically - just play to win.

It sounds bizarre but it is something we have not seen for years. Our previous form at Goodison Park was testament to that.

If the team continue to play in this manner, we are in for a great season.

Everton will rebuff any approaches for Jarrad Branthwaite in 2026, with the centre-back part of a long-term project at the club. (Talksport), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Everton and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Steve: Another good performance, creating quite a few great chances, unfortunately we do not have a centre-forward who will take these chances! Beto just isn't good enough - his finishing is woeful! I'm not convinced Thierno Barry will be any better. I would have taken a punt on Jamie Vardy.

Greg: We did OK but we miss the killer instinct. Should have got Vardy for a season. He would have scored but it's a work in progress. Most players played really well. Idrissa Gueye is unbelievable. Thought David Moyes may have given Tyler Dibling 20 minutes. Save him for next week.

Lee: The perils of not getting a striker in. Beto does his best but should have finished at least two of those chances! Two points dropped in the end.

Blue: It shows how far we have come under Moyes that the result is slightly disappointing. Villa are a decent side and the miss early in the game could have changed everything, but it let us down. Michael Keane played really well, as did the rest, so we should grab the point and go again. It's only Liverpool next!

Villa fans

Matt: Another lacklustre display. Grateful to come away with a point. Starting to worry about where the goals are going to come from.

Peter: I am not sure where a win is coming from. I think the problem is midfield. If we do not get a win in our next home game I can see that we will be in a relegation fight. The truth is that the forwards are not getting enough chances. Delivery into the box is poor. There is no doubt that the players on the pitch on Saturday should be doing better.

Cassie: It's a game best forgotten, and Villa were lucky to have got a point. Emiliano Martinez saved Villa from a loss in a game of no creativity and no sign of improvement from our last match. Harvey Elliott must start the next game, and Ollie Watkins could find himself on the bench. Already, Villa are in a relegtion battle - not going to be a good season.

Adam: More fight and organisation about Villa. Martinez back to his best. Forward players were toothless. Unai Emery needs to stop shoe-horning John McGinn and Morgan Rogers into the team and have the nerve to drop one of them.

Pundits Ashley Williams and Shay Given join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 0-0 Aston Villa

• Newcastle 1-0 Wolves

• West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Everton and their supporters were left frustrated after dominating Aston Villa on Saturday but failing to turn superiority into another three points.

Beto is an honest trier as a striker and his attitude cannot be faulted, but he falls short of the class Everton require to turn the creation of Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye into consistent end product.

The gifted pair probed throughout, with Beto holding his head in anguish when he wasted that big early chance, while Grealish's cross twice created chances for Michael Keane, his first header saved superbly by Emiliano Martinez. The defender could not stretch enough to turn in a second opportunity.

Everton, despite only securing a point, can take heart from the manner in which they exerted control over Villa, with 20 shots to six, that lack of finishing adding to the frustration around Hill Dickinson Stadium, although that was aimed mainly at referee Simon Hooper in a stop-start game.

It is also a sign of raised expectations at Everton that a draw was not regarded as satisfying result, but there was plenty to encourage manager David Moyes.

Everton boss David Moyes spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's draw with Aston Villa: "If anybody was going to win it, I thought it was us on our performance today. We did so many good things in the game, and we just couldn't get that finishing touch.

"I think a manager's job is to raise expectations, that is part of it, but everybody here is aware of where we came from. We are trying to recreate and rebuild in a new stadium.

"We just couldn't get that goal."

On Jack Grealish: "It is certainly making us more excited at the moment. Jack is giving us great balance and it is giving the whole team confidence. Hopefully, we can continue that."

On chances missed: "I have said many times we don't buy £70m strikers or whatever you might expect. We have two good centre forwards who are learning their trade. Beto has been fantastic, he got a couple of chances and didn't score.

"I don't know any strikers in the league who don't go through periods where they don't score."

Did you know?

• Everton (111) and Aston Villa (110) have featured in more 0-0 draws than any other sides in Premier League history.

• Only Everton vs Liverpool (12) has finished 0-0 in the Premier League more often than Everton vs Aston Villa, with today the ninth goalless draw between the sides in the competition.

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 Aston Villa's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Everton make one change to the side that started their 3-2 Premier League win at Wolves before the international break. Tim Iroegbunam comes in for the injured Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Everton XI: Pickford, Keane, Tarkowski, O'Brien, Iroegbunam, Gueye, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Ndiaye, Beto.

Subs: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Barry, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Rohl, Aznou.

Aston Villa make four changes to the side that lost 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace in the league before the international break.

Emiliano Martinez unsurprisingly returns in goal, while Emiliano Buendia, Lucas Digne and Lamare Bogarde also come in for Marco Bizot, Donyell Malen, Ian Maatsen and Evann Guessand.

Victor Lindelof, Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho all start on the bench.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne McGinn, Tielemans, Buendia, Watkins, Bogarde, Rogers.

Subs: Bizot, Maatsen Proctor, Lindelof, Elliott, Torres, Malen, Sancho, Maatsen, Guessand.

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

• Arsenal v Nottingham Forest (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Brighton

• Crystal Palace v Sunderland

• Everton v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Leeds United

• Newcastle v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Tottenham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brentford v Chelsea (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction 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 Aston Villa" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Wolves", for instance.

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

What a great game this is for Jack Grealish against his old club.

He has been on fire for Everton since joining them from Manchester City, and it is great to see him playing with a smile on his face. He has been the real creative spark for them this season and if he carries on this form he will be well and truly in the mix to make the England squad for next summer's World Cup.

So much has changed about Everton since David Moyes lost his first game back in charge against Villa, at Goodison Park in January, and not just that they now have a new ground.

You just sense that, with Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, they have the attacking threat now that they had lacked for a long time. They will be full of belief, against an Aston Villa side who badly need a positive result after their slow start to the new campaign.

The obvious prediction, based on form, is to back Everton to win but I actually don't think Villa will keep on losing.

They are under-performing and also maybe bought a few players in a bit of panic at the end of the transfer window - Jadon Sancho, Harvey Elliott and Victor Lindelof all joined on deadline day - but Emery will get a tune out of his team sooner or later.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Everton resume Premier League proceedings flying high at fifth in the table against an Aston Villa side who have an excellent record against the Toffees but are still searching for their first goal of the season.

BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes before their meeting at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.

In-form Everton

Everton return to Premier League football having picked up more points than any other club since the start of May (16) and won two games in August – as many as they managed in that month over the past four years.

Opponents Aston Villa, on the other hand, have endured a difficult start.. They sit in the relegation zone with one point from three games and the ignominy of being the only club in the top four English tiers yet to score a goal.

So are Everton worthy of their lofty position early in the season and are Villa playing as badly as it seems? The truth, as is so often the case, is somewhere in the middle.

Jack's back

Everton's excellent start has been built around the return to form of Jack Grealish, who faces his former club.

The England international has already provided two assists in each of his two Premier League starts for the Toffees, having done so on only two occasions in his previous 191 appearances in the competition.

The form of fellow new arrival Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has helped. He already averages more chances created per 90 of any Everton player since the start of last season, while no English player has created more chances in the Premier League in 2025-26 than Dewbury-Hall's eight. Not a bad way to start off a campaign with a World Cup at the end of it.

But the Blues' biggest boon is an improved efficiency in front of goal. In 2024-25, they ranked 18th for open-play goals (25). In this campaign, they have scored seven in their past three games in all competitions.

The new-found ruthlessness of David Moyes' side means they are outperforming their expected points total more than any team other than Liverpool, according to Opta data based on chances created and conceded.

Conversely, Unai Emery's Villa are suffering from something of a hangover following their European exploits last season, failing to find the net in all three top-flight outings so far.

The lack of goals is not for a want of trying. The Villans have had the same number of shots as Liverpool this season (33) – and the Reds are the Premier League's leading scorers on eight goals.

However, the West Midlands club are being undone by widespread wastefulness despite getting into good positions.

But if ever there was a fixture in which Villa's fortunes may change, it is this one.

They have won four of their past five Premier League visits to Everton (D1), keeping a clean sheet in their past four.

It is Villa's longest ever run of away league clean sheets against one opponent.

Everton have failed to score in their past four home Premier League games against Villa and Moyes' men will be hoping that a change of venue from Goodison Park to the Hill Dickinson Stadium also results in a change of fortunes in this particular contest.

Listen to Everton v Aston Villa live on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds at 15:00 BST on Saturday

You can also listen to 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Aston Villa".

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

Giulia Bould
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Life at Everton could not be much better for Jack Grealish. After admitting he fell out of love with football, he has started a new romance with the Toffees.

The feeling is clearly mutual. Everton would be open to signing him permanently when his loan ends and believe his price tag could drop considerably.

Manchester City have a rough value of £50m but this is unlikely to be the real cost come next summer.

By then the midfielder would be almost 31 and have just a year left on his deal.

The feeling around Blues bosses is they can negotiate a low figure and hang on to their newest hero if he continues to impress.

It is felt Grealish only had eyes for Everton early on in the transfer window, even when Moyes initially told him he would have to start on the bench.

As the complexities of the loan move were finalised, talks went long into the night and, when chief executive Angus Kinnear was unable to get home to put his son to bed, Grealish called him to apologise and assure the little boy he would become an Everton player soon.

Read more on Grealish's fine start with the Toffees

Alex Fletcher
BBC Sport journalist

Everton boss David Moyes has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Hill Dickinson Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• In terms of team news, Moyes confirmed Jarrad Branthwaite "is getting closer" but it will be "a few weeks" until he returns.

• He added: "We've got a concern about Iliman Ndiaye - he's got a knock and we don't know how he'll be for tomorrow. Myko's [Vitaliy Mykolenko] around, hopefully he might be OK."

• Moyes said he was "really pleased" for Jack Grealish after he won the Premier League player of the month award for August, adding: "He's worked incredibly hard and he's looked after himself in the summer to come back with the right mindset to produce for us. It's just the start for Jack and hopefully there's a lot more to come. It's not down to me, it's down to Jack Grealish."

• Moyes said the club will "do everything they can" to get Jordan Pickford to sign a new contract.

• On new signing Merlin Rohl: "I've been pleased with what I've seen, I have to say. He is another young boy coming in from a different league, but he'll be able to handle it. I've no doubt about that."

• On Saturday's opponents, who have had a slow start to the season and are without a league win or goal: "I've got great respect for Aston Villa and great respect for the manager and what they've done in the past few seasons. Regarding their league position, they've done a fantastic job. It's a huge game for us."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 15:00 on Saturday

You can also listen to 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Aston Villa" or "ask BBC Sounds to play the Everton game".

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

Image source, Getty Images

Everton's Jack Grealish has won August's Premier League player of the month award.

The 30-year-old England forward joined the Toffees on loan from Manchester City in the summer and has registered four assists in three appearances so far.

He had struggled for fitness and game time over the past two seasons at City but has made an immediate impact on Merseyside.

David Moyes' side are fifth in the Premier League after following up an opening defeat at Leeds - where Grealish made his debut as a late substitute - with back-to-back wins over Wolves and Brighton.

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

In January David Moyes was appointed Everton manager for the second time with the club one point above the relegation zone.

No side have picked up more points since the start of May, and they sit fifth in the Premier League.

Here's how they made their revival:

• After the departure of nine senior players Everton spent a record £97m (based on initial fees), their highest-ever Premier League outlay, to sign nine new players this summer.

• The takeover by the Friedkin Group has been transformational, with Everton's crippling debts turned into equity, repaid or refinanced on more favourable terms.

• Future income will also be boosted by greater revenues at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, which has a capacity of 52,769 - an increase of more than 13,000 on Goodison Park - and far greater scope to provide profitable corporate hospitality.

• Everton have realigned their transfer strategy to best suit the needs of the club, underpinned by marquee loan signing Jack Grealish. The England winger has provided two assists in each of his two Premier League starts for Everton, having done so only twice in his previous 191 league appearances.

• Additionally, fellow new arrival Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£24m) averages more chances created per game than any Everton player since the start of last season, while young centre-forward Thierno Barry, a £27m arrival from Villarreal, has impressed with his hold-up play.

• Tyler Dibling (£35m - the fee could rise to £40m) - Everton's biggest summer signing - is yet to feature in the league but adds another dynamic option to an attack that ranked 18th in the top flight for goals from open play last season (25).

• Opta data suggests only Liverpool are outperforming their expected points this season more than Everton, based on the quality of chances created and conceded.

Read full article here

Giulia Bould
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

Everton's right-back position has been the subject of several questions sent in via our 'Ask about Everton' form.

We put your questions about that position in the squad to BBC Radio Merseyside reporter Giulia Bould.

Seamus Coleman turns 37 next month and is in his 17th season at Everton. He was signed by David Moyes during his first spell at the club and remains the manager's most trusted right-back, despite struggling to stay fit.

Replacing the Republic of Ireland international has seemingly proved impossible task. Eight managers between Moyes' two stints have failed to find an ideal candidate.

Nathan Patterson was brought in from Rangers by Rafael Benitez just 12 days before he was sacked in January 2022. At the time, he was touted as a natural successor but has failed to impress and came close to leaving this summer.

When Coleman has been sidelined, it has been a case of square pegs and round holes.

Ben Godfrey was moved from centre-back to plug the gap before his exit in 2024. Sean Dyche brought in Ashley Young but, at the age of 38, he was never a long-term solution.

The other option was midfielder James Garner. In September 2024, then-director of football Kevin Thelwell told me that with budgets tight, and Garner having won the Euros with England under-21s as a right-back, he was the backup for the foreseeable.

Now, Moyes favours Jake O'Brien who admits, while he is happy to cover, he still sees himself as a centre-back. The Toffees searched again this summer for a right-back but on deadline day, only German midfielder Merlin Rohl arrived.

For now then, Seamus Coleman - when fit - remains the manager's first choice in the position and it makes his £60,000 price tag in 2009 seem an even bigger bargain.

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Jordan Pickford continues to underline his importance for England, keeping a seventh consecutive clean sheet in the victory over Serbia.

That run equals his own record for an England goalkeeper in consecutive appearances - a mark he shares with World Cup winner Gordon Banks.

The seven clean sheets for Pickford have come up against Serbia, Andorra (twice), Latvia, Albania, Ireland and Greece. The Ireland and Greece games were under the stewardship of Lee Carsley, interim manager before Thomas Tuchel took over.

The Everton goalkeeper also kept a clean sheet for the Blues in their 2-0 win against Brighton.