“Hope” has been something of a buzzword in the United Kingdom as of late.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham can’t get enough of offering “hope”, or at least trying to.
Whatever your political persuasion (I’m not going to get into that here!), we all know Burnham is a devout Evertonian, and he was in attendance on Thursday at Hill Dickinson Stadium as his favourite buzzword came to fruition for Everton.
The Toffees do have some “hope” to cling onto. They beat Newcastle United in convincing fashion to progress to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2023.
On that occasion, Sean Dyche’s Everton lost on penalties to Fulham at Goodison Park. This time, they will head to fourth-tier Fleetwood Town in mid-December.
Fleetwood’s defeat of Arsenal is one of the all-time great cup shocks, but that does not mean Everton won’t go into the tie as heavy favourites.
And while no Evertonian should be getting ahead of themselves, there should be some excitement around the club and within the fanbase. Everton are one win away from heading into the new year with a two-legged semi-final on the horizon.
That is the kind of motivation that a squad as small as Everton’s needs; it’s the kind of excitement that a fanbase that has had to put up with a whole lot of rubbish in recent years needs, too.
It’s why the game on Thursday was so important; Everton needed to get back on track. They didn’t just need a scrappy win — they needed a convincing one. They needed to instil some confidence back within the team and the fans. Fringe players needed to get a go, and they needed to perform.
And by and large they did. Tyler Dibling was kept relatively quiet but he did not look too frightened to make a mistake that he was not trying to create a spark. Tyrique George again filled in on the left and while he did not do too much, he did play a part in Everton’s first goal. Hayden Hackney was the standout, as he got a much-needed start in midfield. The former Middlesbrough man was not 100% spot on — he was sloppy at times defensively — but he provided an assist and scored.
James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall took a step up, too, while James Tarkowski continues to be the glue at the back.
Everton weren’t perfect — they allowed Newcastle to have 28 shots, which is far too many — but this was definitely a big improvement on what has come before.
The Jack Grealish situation threatened to derail things, too, but instead, Everton’s squad seemed to rally and the fanbase was united behind them.
“The positivity we can build, you can see what it meant for them to be in the quarter-finals of a cup,” said David Moyes post-match.
“It’s a big moment. Obviously, the players need to keep at it, we’re not accepting any excuses, whether it’s because of the ownership, the transfer window —I don’t want the players to look for any excuses at all. I think they’re doing a great job, I really do. We have to go again.”
This was a big moment, but it’s also a moment that can only be the start.
They have to now kick on. Newcastle are next up on Monday, and the home faithful at St. James’ Park will be vociferous in their push for instant revenge.
This is just 1 game down out of 3 huge ones before the international break, but it’s a good start, and Everton have their hope.
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