LIVERPOOL — Everton's unbeaten start to the Premier League season and progress in the Carabao Cup has delivered a rare outbreak of optimism at Hill Dickinson Stadium, even as David Moyes chases an end to a 31-year search for success. That guarded mood follows a 1-0 EFL Cup win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Hill Dickinson Stadium that set up a last-16 home tie with Newcastle United, with the club still seeking its first trophy since the 1995 FA Cup triumph against Manchester United at the old Wembley.
The upturn comes against a turbulent backdrop. A badly botched transfer window left Moyes with only 18 senior outfield players after a shambolic final day. A move for AS Monaco striker Falorin Balogun fell through when he walked away from the deal after problems with the medical, while Iliman Ndiaye — arguably Everton's best player — was sold to Manchester City for £65m.
Since the turn of the century, Everton are the only club in English football's current top four tiers who have not won a trophy or been promoted, a record that weighs heavily despite fierce, loyal support and sell-outs at Goodison Park and the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Everton remain one of only six Premier League originals, along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who have never dropped out of the top tier, and were last relegated in 1951. Survival was secured dramatically in recent seasons, staying up by beating Bournemouth on the final day of the 2022-23 season and, the previous campaign, coming from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace in their penultimate game. Former player Leon Osman, who made 433 appearances for Everton between 2003 and 2016, scoring 58 goals, said: "Yes, there have been disappointments and those years without trophies, but let me tell you this - I wouldn't swap being an Evertonian for anything in the world." Prominent fan Dr. David France, who calculates he has travelled two million miles to watch the club from his home in the United States, told BBC Sport: "I can explain what I celebrate, even if we haven't had tangible success for so long. I celebrate being an Evertonian."
The ledger since 2000 underlines the frustration. Everton have lost two FA Cup semi-finals, winning a third against Manchester United on penalties in 2009 only to lose to Chelsea in the final, and have been knocked out eight times at the first time of asking in the third round. In the EFL Cup they have only reached the semi-finals twice, in 2008 and 2016, losing both. In the league they have failed to win at Chelsea in 27 attempts, won only twice at Manchester United, once at Arsenal and Liverpool and five times at Manchester City, though they did win an FA Cup fourth-round replay at Stamford Bridge in 2011. In 53 Merseyside derbies in the Premier League in this time, Everton have won only five and lost 28, balanced by a dramatic FA Cup fourth-round replay win against Liverpool in 2009 secured with Dan Gosling's last-minute goal in extra-time.
That 2009 derby win and a crucial 1-0 derby victory were part of the finest season in this fallow period, when Moyes — after selling Wayne Rooney to Manchester United — guided Everton to fourth place in 2004-05 and into the Champions League in what then Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described as "a miracle." It included Duncan Ferguson's winner against Manchester United with a trademark header from Mikel Arteta's free-kick. The Champions League journey ended in controversy after losing the first leg 2-1 at home to eventual semi-finalists Villarreal, when referee Pierluigi Collina ruled out a late Ferguson header that would have sent the tie into extra-time, with Everton eventually going out 4-2 on aggregate. Osman said: "We've had some disappointments in those times, certainly in terms of not winning anything, but we've had some good days along the way, good moments. We've reached semi-finals, an FA Cup final, some great celebrations. We had some great trips in Europe - I think about us winning in Nuremberg in the Uefa Cup with thousands of our fans there to enjoy it. I certainly don't feel it's been 26 years of misery. I would argue very strongly against that. When we qualified for the Champions League in 2005, that was an incredible achievement, given the clubs we were up against. We did something very special in that season." Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Canada counterpart Mark Carney were among those celebrating the winner against Wolves as Everton look to turn guarded optimism into tangible success.