Everton

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It is fair to say that Everton are having the new-old manager bounce. With David Moyes coming back in, they have created a bit of daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

But one thing that is still apparent, for as good as their defensive record is, they have still only scored 19 goals. That has become a problem.

The injury to Armando Broja, the fact that Beto has not scored too many - and neither has Dominic Calvert-Lewin - means goals are going to play a big part in how they finish this season.

Moyes knows giving the Everton fans something to look forward to watching does require goals. So they are going to need somebody up there that could maybe combine in a 4-4-2 formation or is capable of leading the line themselves.

Having a finisher changes the way teams are perceived and how you play against them. I would not say who Everton get has to be from the Premier League because there are so many hidden gems in the football league and elsewhere. Ultimately, price will be a big factor.

And that is the thing with Everton - where the player comes from is not a big deal. Look at someone like Seamus Coleman - a club legend who was brought in for £100,000 from Ireland. The profile does not matter as long as they buy into the identity of the football club.

This is an important season for Everton, not just for staying in the league, but for the feeling as they go over to the new stadium. If they are scoring goals, and playing exciting football, then there are reasons to believe something good is coming.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Ian Kennedy
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

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The significance of Everton's win at Brighton last weekend should not be underestimated.

It was a rare away win, and the first time Everton had produced back-to-back league victories all season. Two major steps forward on the same day.

The 'new manager bounce' has seemingly kicked in, although as David Moyes rightly said after the game, there is still a long way to go.

But things are looking much healthier now, and imagine what a win over Leicester at Goodison on Saturday would do. It would give Everton a nine-point cushion over the side currently below them in the table – who just happen to be the Foxes.

Not as easy as it sounds, however, given Leicester's win at Tottenham. That result makes this weekend's clash even more intriguing.

It is a huge game and vital that Everton use the confidence they have clearly discovered to find another important three points.

It is just a shame to see Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala pick up injuries.

Whether that accelerates the need for reinforcements before the transfer window closes remains to be seen.

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Everton Women's manager Brian Sorensen says that the club's new owners will do "what's best for the women's programme" when deciding on if his team will move grounds in the near future.

The women's side could potentially be moving away from Walton Hall Park and sharing the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock with the men's side.

The new stadium has a 52,888-capacity and remains on schedule to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Speaking about the possibility of such a move, Sorensen told BBC Radio Merseyside: "You can't rule anything out that's for sure. They [new owners] are very open-minded and I think it should be about what's best for the women's programme.

"Is it building Walton Hall Park out like with Kingsmeadow? Or is it finding another venue or even going into the new stadium.

"Let's see what they come up with. I just know that they are very supportive."

Everton's women are playing Tottenham in the FA Cup on Wednesday. The original game was is rearranged due to weather conditions making the pitch unplayable earlier in the month.

Mike Richards
Fan writer

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Two wins on the spin. Two types of victories. This football lark is easy - well kind of.

David Moyes appears to have the Midas touch, after Everton followed up last weekend's front-footed win over Tottenham, with a hard-fought, ground-out triumph at Amex Stadium.

The manner of the wins is not important. It was another huge step towards safety and has somewhat relieved the pressure.

The win came at a huge cost, however, with what look to be long-term injuries sustained by both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala.

Both players are immensely important, but especially in Calvert-Lewin's case as his only current fit deputy is Beto - a player full of verve and vigour, but lacking technically.

Afterwards, Moyes alluded to his plans for the final week of the transfer window now changing. If a new striker was not at the top of the list, it is now imperative that one is.

Goals have been at a premium for the majority of the season and, given the increased attacking intent of Moyes' side, a forward who is primed for the here and now is a must.

Even with Mangala's injury, central midfield is slightly less of an issue, given the return of both James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam.

Both will have a significant task filling the Belgian's boots as he has been one of few standouts this season. However, they are both certainly more than capable.

The manager was always keen to add to an already stretched squad.

In order to keep the wolves from the door and continue our upward trajectory, I am expecting a busy end to the window for us.

Hopefully.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

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

David from Bromborough asked: What are your early thoughts of David Moyes back at Everton?

Phil answered: I have never bought into the idea of Moyes returning to Everton on the many occasions this was mooted in the past, feeling it was a backward step. But this time I totally get it and understand exactly why this appointment was made after Sean Dyche's sacking.

The club needed someone of Premier League experience and pedigree - and Moyes himself has looked genuinely thrilled and reinvigorated to be back at Everton. And, best of all for Everton fans, he has had two very good wins against Tottenham and Brighton.

Those who were sceptical, and there were plenty, are feeling a lot better now. So far so good, and you can just tell by Moyes' body language and his interviews that he feels right back at home.

Read more of Phil McNulty's Q&A here

Brighton and Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, 20, is the top target of former Seagulls boss Graham Potter, who wants to bring the striker to West Ham, but Everton, Bournemouth and Arsenal are also in the running. (Talksport, external)

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

SE: Every year Everton and Jordan Pickford come to the Amex and time-waste. The officials are oblivious to it and they need training. How we lost is beyond me but we were toothless up top again.

Chris: We were half the team that we had been against Man Utd. We deserved nothing. Little energy, little desire. Creativity almost non-existent. A real anti-climax to a great month.

Colin: We could have played all night and not scored. It was vital to get the first goal and apart from a couple of early occasions we never got behind the Everton full-backs and completely ran out of ideas of how to break down a strong defence guarding a one-goal lead. Joel Veltman knew what he was doing for the handball and didn't have his best game. Another frustrating watch.

Neil: Absolutely rubbish - no attacking ideas, stale. Buy someone quickly.

Everton fans

Paul: Sometimes, particularly away from home, you just have to win ugly. So, obviously very poor going forward and in possession but a hard-working midfield and solid defence should guarantee we are in the Premier League in the new stadium. At this stage, that's all that matters for Everton.

Jason: The Moyesiah has come back to keep us in the Premier League and lead us into the new stadium as a top flight side. I am utterly delighted he's come back, and at this stage care only about results, not necessarily performances. They will come in time.

Dave: Bit disjointed at the back largely but still dug in and defended as a pack. A more pacy outlet is needed to ease the pressure at the back. The players' reactions on the field and the dugout at full-time speaks volumes. This is down to the change of manager who values every individual.

Mark: A superb away win showing team spirit, commitment and resolve. Our depleted ranks held firm but we might have suffered some vital injury losses. If ever we needed reinforcement, it's certainly now.

Chris Wise
Final Score reporter at Amex Stadium

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I don't think I've seen David Moyes wear his emotions as clearly as he did at the full-time whistle on Saturday.

A combination of delight, relief, and belief were probably all mixed into one as he roared towards a packed Everton away end.

If you didn't know it already, you saw in that moment just what being back at Everton means to him.

It was good to hear Moyes mention Sean Dyche's name in his Match of the Day interview after the game too. The structure and grit of Everton's defensive performance against Brighton clearly had foundations from the Dyche era.

This is the Moyes movement now though, and he's pulled in plenty of followers already.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures are now available to watch.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wolves 0-1 Arsenal

• Man City 3-1 Chelsea

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Everton boss David Moyes speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "That second half was about two hours long! It was really, really difficult but the players put in one hell of a performance, backs to the wall stuff a little bit, down to ten men for the last ten or fifteen minutes plus extra time. A great performance.

"I have got to say Dychey [Sean Dyche] left an awful lot of good things at this football club. Resilience, being hard to beat, tough, they had all that. We are now just trying to add a little bit more. Can we make some more chances? Can we get some more goals? Add those sorts of things to the game.

"Everton has always been incredibly special to me. I had eleven and a half great years here previously, some wonderful memories. I don't know if I'll do another eleven and a half but I'll see how far I can go.

"My only concern at the moment is that we stay away from the bottom three and we take Everton into the new stadium as a Premier League clubs. Today's points and the ones we got on Sunday will help greatly. The players have been great, they really have been. I see the improvement in them. I hope we can take that into the coming weeks.

"We always hoped that we would do business in this window but we had an injury to Dom [Calvert-Lewin] today and another one to Mangala, which is a downside of the result. Hopefully we have some time to do some more deals."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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It wasn't always pretty, but Everton manager David Moyes marked his 700th Premier League match as a manager with a hard-fought victory at Brighton.

After a cagey first half at Amex Stadium, Joel Veltman's clumsy handball five minutes before the break gave Iliman Ndiaye a golden opportunity to put the Toffees ahead - and the 24-year-old made no mistake.

Everton had already lost Dominic Calvert-Lewin to an apparent hamstring problem, and they had to play the closing stages with 10 men following an injury to Orel Mangala after Moyes had used up all his all his allotted substitution slots.

But despite enjoying nearly 69% of possession, Brighton only showed fleeting glimpses of the attacking threat posed during last Sunday's 3-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The win was only Everton's second in their last 22 league matches away from Goodison Park, but it could be one of the most important of the campaign as the Toffees climbed seven points clear of the relegation zone.

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Everton have won back-to-back Premier League games for the first time this season.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Everton's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action.

• Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest

• Brighton v Everton

• Liverpool v Ipswich

• Southampton v Newcastle

• Wolves v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Man City v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

It is hard to judge David Moyes's Everton off the back of their 3-2 win over a Tottenham side who have been so leaky defensively.

This will be a much better indication of whether Toffees striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is up and running after ending his long wait for a goal against Spurs.

Similarly, it's hard to read too much into Brighton's victory at Manchester United.

Their performance was impressive, especially how dominant they were, but then everyone is dominating against United at the moment - even Southampton managed it when they went to Old Trafford.

Everton were also very good against Spurs but I think they will find things much harder here and Moyes has still got a bit of work to do to keep them up.

Scoring goals has been such a problem for them so getting three against Tottenham was massive - but I don't think they will get any this week.

Sutton's prediction: Brighton 2-0 Everton

Read all of his predictions and have your say here

Everton manager David Moyes spoke to media about the appointments of Alan Irvine and Charlie Adam to his staff.

Everton boss David Moyes has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Brighton (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Moyes said winger Dwight McNeil will "probably" require knee surgery: "He's tried but it looks like we're going to have to get him back to the specialist to see. It's a real blow because we need him back for things like set-pieces, deliveries and his general play. Everybody has told me he's performed really well for Everton."

• Tim Iroegbunam and James Garner are "not too far away" from returning from injury: "James is a wee bit further on than Tim at the moment. In an ideal scenario you'd want to give them a few under-21 games if possible - but if we need to use them I will do. They won't be too far away because I need them back around the squad to give us that little bit more depth."

• On reaching 700 Premier League matches as manager: "It's incredible really. When you start you never think you'll become a Premier League manager, but to get 700 games behind me is a fair achievement. I'm very pleased."

• Moyes is "quite confident" Everton will make additions before the end of January: "I'm trying to catch up with where we are, but I'm finding some restrictions in what we can and can't do. I'm still pretty hopeful we'll make additions before the end of the window that's for sure. You never want to promise it but I'm quite confident we'll get something done before then."

• On reports Armando Broja could return to Chelsea midway through his loan spell to open up another domestic loan spot: "At the moment there isn't a firm decision been taken, but I think from the conversations we've had it's a possibility. It's not confirmed quite yet."

• He is happy with the squad's attitude since his arrived: "They have been well drilled by Sean [Dyche] before I came in. They want to work and want to get better. They are not enjoying the position they were in. The players have started really well. I was thrilled with how they performed [against Tottenham]. We are going to need a few more of those."

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

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Having been winless in their first four Premier League away games against Brighton (D2 L2), Everton have won two of their past three visits to Amex Stadium.

This Premier League pursuit becomes a lot easier if you take your chances.

BBC Sport has checked in on some data comparing goals versus expected goals this season.

You can see from the bar graph some teams aren't finding the goals (yellow) to outstrip the expected goals they should score (black).

Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal, Brentford, Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Leicester have all scored more than expected.

Wolves in particular have found the net 32 times from an expected 23.56 - a significant overperformance.

League leaders Liverpool are pretty much bang on in returning what they should, while Arsenal have outperformed, with 43 goals from an expected 37.78.

Bournemouth - 36 goals from an expected 43 - are leaving opportunities on the table.

Every so often, a player is described by a pundit as someone who "loves to defend".

Most fans would naturally welcome such a sort in their team, that player who stands tall, lets stuff bounce off him and somehow masters the ability to become a magnet to the ball when it enters the penalty area.

BBC Sport took a look at three metrics this season - headed clearances, blocks and tackles - to see which players seem to relish this kind of thing.

Everton's James Tarkowski leads the way, amassing a total of 131 across the three areas, with Brentford's Nathan Collins second. The two men have made 73 headed clearances each, a stat that proves their value when it comes to defending dead balls.

Murillo - fresh from his contract extension at Nottingham Forest - was highlighted in recent weeks for a no-nonsense display against Liverpool, when he frequently launched clearances into the night. He makes the top three across these metrics and while Brazilian players are so often lauded for their flair, he can proudly carry the 'loves-to-defend' tag.