Everton

Mike Richards
Fan writer

Last night just about sums up where Everton are at the moment.

A superb opening half an hour followed by poor game management.

The opening 30 minutes was as good as Everton have played all season. Quick on the counter, with Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish very much dictating proceedings.

Ndiaye showed his quality once again, with an early goal of the season contender. It's been coming for the last few weeks. His dazzling footwork and speed across the grass was too much for Sunderland. The finish – on his wrong foot – wasn't too shabby either.

It's no secret that Everton have got issues in the striking department this season. With Beto and Thierno Barry mustering only one league goal between them, lack of goals and a cutting edge from both, is a serious problem.

The manager has elected to constantly rotate the two, with both proving more effective off the bench.

Barry will rightly be scrutinised for 'that' miss. What we'd all give for him to score a goal. His overall play was good before that moment, but he simply had to score.

His lack of confidence grows by the game and it was at that moment that both he and Everton simply imploded.

How the strikers are being managed is a concern. I'd prefer Moyes to stick with one – preferably Barry – and allow him to learn and transition to the league. He needs faith shown in him, not scorn.

Both Tyler Dibling and Merlin Rohl can count themselves incredibly unlucky to have not seen any game time again.

The McNeil introduction for Ndiaye was baffling to say the least given his lack of minutes and generally poor showing this season.

I'm sure Moyes knows something we don't, but we can't simply stumble from one game to the next with our current air of predictably.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Everton manager David Moyes cut a frustrated figure for most of the Toffees' game at Sunderland after a host of chances to help secure a confidence-boosting win went begging.

Young striker Thierno Barry made just a third Premier League start and was involved in Everton's opening goal, battling to keep possession before Iliman Ndiaye burst away to score.

But, after the £27.5m summer signing missed from close range, he was substituted for Beto in the second half - the ninth Premier League game in a row in which Moyes has felt compelled to change his centre forward.

Moyes' frustration was then compounded by his team's failure to convert a two-on-one opportunity in the final seconds, with substitute Carlos Alcaraz unable to find a pass to Idrissa Gueye, who had a clear run on goal.

The game sums up Everton's troubles this season - a failure to convert chances, rather than to create them in the first place.

Jack Grealish would have had his fifth assist of the season at the Stadium of Light had Barry converted his first-half cross from close range.

No Premier League player has created more chances from open play than Grealish this season - but Everton have netted just 10 goals, with only four teams having scored fewer.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Everton and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Luke: I would love to know where Everton would be in the table if the strikers could convert some of the chances Grealish and Ndiaye are creating week in, week out.

Richard: Not as bad as it might have been but nowhere near as good as it should have been. We desperately need a decent striker in January. If we don't get one, our creative players will wonder why they are creating chances as nobody is capable of finishing them. One goal between Beto and Barry all season is not good enough and our new found creativity is being wasted.

Keith: Shocking second half performance. I am dumbfounded how every player seemed to completely lose their composure and ability to pass the ball. I couldn't believe what I was watching.

Paul: Poor. I would ask Evertonians (one myself) if Moyes is really doing a good job? His tactics and choice of subs leave me bewildered.

Jamie: Should Moyes consider playing Tarkowski as a centre forward? Yet again against Sunderland he showed his striking prowess by getting in the way of Pickford and prodding the ball home.

Everton manager David Moyes, speaking to Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw at Sunderland: "I thought for 20, 30 minutes I would be disappointed if I go home with a point but at the end I was pleased we got a point.

"We missed a good chance to make it 2-0, then we sat back and that gave Sunderland a bit of confidence.

"We didn't manage the last 15 minutes of the first half very well and we didn't manage the second half well.

"We did all the things we hoped we would [at the start], it was a case of would we score. Iliman Ndiaye scored a very good individual goal, Jack [Grealish] hits the post and when Thierno's [Barry] chance missed we didn't have enough.

"We conceded immediately after kick-off. Goals make the difference and can change how you feel as a manager.

"Coming to Sunderland, a point is not a bad result, but after 30 minutes I was feeling 'we're alright here, we should get a result'. You could see it was a lucky goal [for Sunderland], it was a deflection but if you shoot, sometimes you get a bit of luck and they got a bit lucky.

"I'm struggling to pick out many positives from any of our football in the second half. The main thing was to not concede a second goal. It summed up the night that we could not find a pass to get that second goal.

"I wanted much more and we're capable of it. I think we have a good team, we played quite well for some periods, but not for long enough."

Did you know?

• Iliman Ndiaye has scored six goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances for Everton, which is as many as he scored in his previous 26 matches in the competition.

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Everton have two strikers - with a combined one goal.

Beto - who has that goal - usually starts, and Barry usually comes on. This time they switched it around with Barry starting before being replaced by Beto early in the second half.

It did not make a difference.

And Barry, a £27m summer signing from Villarreal, really should have got his first goal in English football when Grealish picked him out with a cross which he skied over from inside the six-yard box.

Everton could have been two or three goals clear by then - with Grealish having hit the post earlier.

After that Barry miss it all just stopped. Their only other chance came in the closing moments through Vitalii Mykolenko.

Everton, managed by ex-Black Cats boss David Moyes, now have one win in their past eight matches.

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

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Everton's display?

Come back on Tuesday for a selection of your replies

Sunderland are unchanged from the side who beat Chelsea 2-1 last time out.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Geertruida, Mandava, Traore, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Isidor. Subs: Patterson, Neil, Talbi, Brobbey, Rigg, Mayenda, O'Nien, Adingra, Masuaku.

• Follow the action live

One change for Everton from their 3-0 loss to Tottenham as Thierno Barry replaces Beto up top.

Everton XI: Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry. Subs: Travers, McNeil, Beto, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Rohl, Aznou, Iroegbunam.

Everton's Jordan Pickford tells Kelly Somers what it will be like to face his boyhood club Sunderland for the first time since swapping Wearside for Merseyside in 2017.

I'm torn here because I'm always wrong about Sunderland, and I know that means I've got a large fanbase on Wearside.

Because of that, I don't want to jinx the Black Cats by saying they will win... but it is also hard to make a case for Everton getting anything.

My 606 co-host Roman Kemp said Hill-Dickinson Stadium will be a fortress for them this season, but Tottenham didn't have too much trouble there last Sunday in their 3-0 win.

David Moyes' side really need to respond after that defeat but what he needs more than anything, as he goes back to one of his former clubs, is a finisher.

Beto misses so many chances but I'm backing him to put his boots on the right feet this week and score to grab his side a point.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Manchester United and Tottenham are closely monitoring 23-year-old England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who Everton do not want to sell and value at around £70m. (Caught Offside), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland have equalled their best start to a Premier League season and next they host an Everton team who have won just once in six matches.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes going into Monday's game at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland's superlative start

Sunderland head into match round 10 having made their joint-best start to a Premier League season.

Seventeen points from nine games equals the efforts of the 1999-2000 side of Peter Reid, who went on to finish seventh, and represents the sixth-best start by any promoted side in Premier League history.

On this occasion, the mastermind of Sunderland's excellent start has been Regis le Bris. The 49-year-old has confounded expectations since he was appointed in July 2024 as an unheralded replacement for Michael Beale.

Le Bris had just been relegated from Ligue 1 with Lorient in his previous role but proved to be an immediate success on Wearside, ending Sunderland's eight-year exile from the top flight by beating Sheffield United in the play-off final and then guiding his side to the lofty heights of the Premier League's top four.

One reason for Sunderland's great start is the relentless running of their two central midfielders - Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki have covered more ground than any other players in the Premier League this season.

The pair cost Sunderland £28m this summer - £13m for Xhaka, £15m for Sadiki – which already looks to be a real bargain for players so integral to Sunderland's strong start.

Toffees coming unstuck in attack

Sunderland next face an Everton side who have dropped off following a positive start of their own.

The Toffees have won just one of their last six Premier League games, losing 2-0 against Manchester City and 3-0 against Tottenham in their ast two outings.

Everton's failure to score in those matches is the latest sign of a wider malaise. While Everton were successful in recruiting the likes of Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during the summer, the Merseysider's squad still lacks an elite centre forward.

Beto and Thierno Barry, David Moyes' current two options at number nine, have scored once between them in 18 Premier League appearances.

Grealish currently tops the Premier League rankings for creating chances from open play (19) but as a team, Everton simply aren't taking those chances.

They have scored nine goals from an expected goals tally of 12.4 , with only Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace underperforming to a greater extent in front of goal.

The Toffees have already lost at promoted Leeds this season and another defeat at the Stadium of Light would consign Everton to three successive losses under Moyes for the first time since October 2011, while they haven't lost three in a row under the Scotsman without scoring in 20 years.

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Everton boss David Moyes has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Sunderland at Stadium of Light (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Moyes confirmed Nathan Patterson has had a "small procedure on his groin" and will not be available for the match. Otherwise, he believes everyone else should be OK for Monday.

• Moyes was asked about the struggles of strikers Beto and Thierno Barry, and did not rule out the possibility using other options up front: "If I'm not getting what I want then I will look to see what else there is. But it gives you less focal point and changes how you have to play. We won't bury our head in the sand and will certainly think about it."

• After a strong international break for Republic of Ireland, Moyes said Seamus Coleman has "never been out of his thinking" as an option for his side but also spoke highly of Jake O'Brien's recent performances.

• On Monday's opponents, who Moyes managed in the 2016-17 season: "Their performance all season has been really good and a lot of people have been surprised by it. They have a great crowd behind them and are really strong at home."

• He drew a comparison between Everton and his former club: "We are in a city with a really good club in Liverpool and Sunderland have always had to compete with Newcastle. Hopefully, Sunderland will challenge Newcastle and we can challenge Liverpool as well."

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

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here

Image source, Getty Images

Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Terry asked: Do you think Everton have the worst forward options in the Premier League? Beto is nowhere near the required level technically and Thierno Barry looks lost since joining in the summer. I can't think of a team with worse options.

Phil answered: If not the worst, then among the worst.

Beto is short of consistent Premier League class, struggles with hold-up play and misses too many chances. Barry is, shall we say, a work in progress.

Everton spent £27m on Barry in the summer to bring him from Villarreal when there were already doubts over Beto's pedigree. They bought a raw, developing player when they needed something nearer the finished article.

It is clear manager David Moyes shares those doubts from the number of times he has swapped them - for games and during games.

It is an obvious flaw that is already costing Everton points. They have real creativity with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, but the lack of a reliable striker is letting them down and will continue to do so.

Read more of the Q&A with Phil

Briony Bragg
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The first loss at Hill Dickinson Stadium was inevitable at some stage, however, it still stings.

That is now one win in seven in all competitions. Of course, Everton were the only team not to concede from a set-piece this season, for the inevitable to then happen (twice!).

But, as it was at Manchester City in the previous week, Everton simply are not taking their chances when they arise - and as cliche as it sounds, goals change games.

Beto had a glorious opportunity in the third minute to put Everton in front, which could have changed the whole trajectory of the game. The forward attackers just were not at the races and Spurs took their chances. There were some beautiful crosses into their box, and someone with the profile of Micky van de Ven simply should not be allowed a free header.

Time to switch it up, David Moyes. No more like-for-like substitutions, or delayed ones at that. Everton need to make some real tactical changes, showing a new dimension to their play.

It is all too easy to read now. All the game runs through Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish, so teams are just doubling up on them both. None of the full-backs are offering them more options, and both Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall need to pull the trigger more at goal.

It worked well with James Garner in an unfamiliar left-back role at the 2-0 win against Brighton; likewise, Carlos Alcaraz really impressed in the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace. What could he really offer when he came on at 85 minutes against Tottenham?

With Merlin Rohl continuing to impress in training, it may be time to bring him into the starting midfield and give Idrissa Gana Gueye a well-deserved rest. It may inject some new energy and unpredictability; more tactical variety is desperately needed.

Image source, Getty Images

James Tarkowski says Everton "need to find ways to score" as they slumped to their second consecutive Premier League defeat on Sunday, this time at the hands of Tottenham.

The Toffees have scored just three times in their past five games across all competitions, and have failed to score in either of their past two matches against Manchester City and Spurs.

Everton conceded twice in the first half against Spurs from corners, with defender Micky van de Ven scoring both.

Tarkowski believes all players are responsible for Everton's recent goal drought, not just the forward players.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside after the loss, the centre-back said: "We need to start scoring goals, we need to start putting the ball in the back of the net.

"That might sound like I'm picking on forward players, but I'm definitely not, that's for the whole team including myself.

"We need to find ways to score. Tottenham's centre halves scored two against us.

"Set pieces decide games a lot of the time, and you saw that Tottenham won the game from set pieces."

Listen to the full interview with Tarkowski on BBC Sounds

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

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Mark: We just lack a goalscoring striker. Beto works hard, just not good enough, and we were poor defensively from corners.

Simon: This result is a pretty fair reflection of where the team is at, which is miles off the top half of the league. Until we can start playing through balls behind the opposition defence, we will continue to be an easy team to defend against. We have first-class wingers, but our nine and 10 offer nothing through the middle.

Mike: Everton have become so predictable, and teams have sussed us out very quickly. We are far too slow and ponderous; it's easy to defend.

Ted: We were awful. No centre forward. No creativity. Grealish tried, but was not supported by anyone.

Tottenham fans

Andy: Although we are now riding high in the league, I just can't get excited about this team or its manager. Frank is perfectly content letting the opposition dictate, playing all the positive football whilst we play on the back foot, passing sideways and backwards when we have the ball; hoping at some point to score from a set piece.

Frank: Much better performance. Defence is good, central midfield is excellent. Sarr seems to have an eye for goal play as a forward. As Frank says, it is about building layers, and we need to get the four forwards working with pace. Enjoyed the game.

Tony: Not our best effort, the scoreline is quite flattering, but a win is a win. We need to pass the ball better and at a better tempo. We play too slowly and lost the ball too much.

Pundits Danny Murphy and Theo Walcott join host Kelly Cates 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:

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