Match Preview
Updated For the first time since those forgotten days when Carlo Ancelotti had The Blues riding high in the Premier League, Everton take on their arch northwest rivals from the other end of the East Lancs Road in a position of relative strength — 1 point above them in the table — even though both of these great clubs find themselves languishing in the lower half.
But the transition in Everton’s recent fortunes — perhaps the biggest “new manager bounce” imaginable — has seen The Toffees amass 13 points out of 15 in the last 5 Premier League games, the only blot on a perfect record coming when they squandered 3 points and a leading position at home against Liverpool, albeit rescuing a point in dramatic fashion with Tarkowski’s tremendous 98th-minute equalizer.
Hopefully against Manchester United on Saturday, David Moyes’s almost magical influence on a team that had become utterly bereft of any footballing prowess to speak of under Sean Dyche, will be manifest when they need to make Ruben Amorim’s nascent record as new Red Devils manager just that little bit worse than it already is.
But the task Everton face is not helped by an ever-deepening injury crisis that saw eight of nine players missing from the fantastic win at Crystal Palace last weekend, with Abdoulaye Doucoure now returning from suspension for the heinous crime of celebrating that fantastic late goal against the Reds, whose entitled and undisciplined representatives precipitated a mass brawl in consequence.
Long-term injuries to Broja, McNeil, Mangala, Calvert-Lewin, and now Ndiaye are compounded by fitness doubts for Chermiti, Patterson and Coleman going into this match, with David Moyes including youngsters from the Under-21s on the subs bench but so far rarely using them.
The visitors can cite similar constraints on the available manpower to counter a poor run of form that has seen them lose almost half of their Premier League games so far this season, with Diallo, Mainoo, Mount, Shaw, and Evans sidelined by injury and a number of other players listed as doubtful.
But on the back of such a good recent run by The Blues, we can expect a packed and vibrant Goodison Park for this the last visit of the Red Devils, with only five more home games for the Old Lady to see out in the Premier League.
The early lunchtime kick-off means this encounter is showing live on TNT Sports 1, with David Moyes commenting in his pre-match press conference on Friday at Finch Farm that playing Manchester United is just another game for him but they’re a great football club.
He admits he’s had to fight his way back up since being at Manchester United, and has done that at West Ham, winning a trophy, and he hopes to get Everton back in Europe.
He says that Beto has been given a big opportunity and has improved in the games he’s had.
When asked about the stadium move after the test event on Monday, Moyes said: “I wanted to ask what it looked like. I’ve said I’m not going to go down there until it’s confirmed that we’re a Premier League club.”
Kick-Off: 12:30 GMT Saturday 22 February 2025
Referee: Andy Madley
Assistants: Mat Wilkes, Craig Taylor
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor
Video Assistant Referee: Matt Donohue
Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton