Everton’s 2025/26 campaign has begun in quietly impressive fashion.
Under David Moyes, the Toffees look more disciplined, cohesive, and self-assured than they have in years.
The club sits eighth in the Premier League with three wins and eleven points, having beaten Wolves, Brighton, and most recently Crystal Palace, where a dramatic 93rd-minute winner from Jack Grealish ended the visitors’ 19-match unbeaten run.
It’s been a steady rise for a side that finished 13th last season after a late-season surge under Moyes.
The Scot has instilled the same resilience and structure that defined his first spell at Goodison Park, combining tactical discipline with freedom in attack.
Everton’s football has become more pragmatic, but it’s also more purposeful.
Moyes’ entire side seems revitalised – the pressing is sharper, transitions quicker, and confidence higher.
The upcoming trip to Manchester City will provide a true test of their progress, but the early signs suggest Everton have rediscovered an identity built on energy, hard work, and belief.
Grealish’s resurgence under Moyes
Few stories in the Premier League have been as satisfying as Grealish’s revival.
Once a peripheral figure at Manchester City – limited to just 721 minutes last season, starting only seven matches – the 30-year-old has looked reborn since trading sky blue for royal blue.
After struggling with hip and groin injuries that sidelined him for 17 games over the past two seasons, Grealish is finally playing with freedom again.
Under Moyes, he has been encouraged to express himself but with structure – the blend of tactical discipline and creative liberty that once made him one of Europe’s most sought-after wide players.
In just seven games for Everton this season, he has already registered one goal and four assists in 557 minutes – almost matching his entire output from last season.
Matches Played
7
Goals
1
Assists
1
Progressive Carries
69
Progressive Passes
52
Moyes’ trust has allowed him to thrive; Grealish is central to everything good about Everton’s attack, drifting infield to dictate tempo and combining effectively with Beto and new striker Thierno Barry.
The data reinforces his improvement.
In his most productive campaign – City’s treble-winning 2022/23 season – Grealish averaged 6.27 progressive carries, 4.39 progressive passes, and 4.55 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.
This season, his numbers are trending in a similar direction, showing that he is once again influencing matches both creatively and through his ball progression.
His ball-carrying remains elite, with 42 carries and 33.9 touches in the attacking third per 90, while his 84.1% pass completion underlines how safely he maintains possession in high-pressure areas.
Add to that an increased work rate – 1.10 tackles and 0.75 blocks per 90 – and you have a player fully committed to Moyes’ philosophy.
Thomas Tuchel’s persistent England squad snubs might have stung, but Grealish’s response has been emphatic.
He looks sharp, decisive, and fit – a player rediscovering the joy of football.
For Moyes, he’s become the emotional core of a rejuvenated team; for Everton, he’s the statement signing that signals a new era of ambition.
Why Dewsbury-Hall could be a victim of Grealish's form
While all eyes are on Grealish’s renaissance, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is quietly piecing together a redemption story of his own at Goodison Park – though his place in Everton’s best XI isn’t guaranteed.
The 27-year-old midfielder, who joined from Chelsea in the summer for £28m, has been one of Moyes’ success stories so far.
After a difficult spell at Stamford Bridge – where he was largely restricted to Conference League cameos and late Premier League substitutions, despite featuring in the Club World Cup final win over PSG – Dewsbury-Hall has rediscovered the confidence and control that once made him a “revelation” at Leicester, as per Brendan Rodgers.
He’s been impressive statistically, too: seven appearances in all competitions, one goal, one assist, and standout underlying numbers.
He ranks in the 74th percentile for pass completion (80.4%), 82nd percentile for progressive passes (5.46 per 90), and 87th percentile for tackles (1.90 per 90).
Defensively, he’s been immense – sitting in the 98th percentile for clearances (1.54 per 90) among midfielders.
Those figures underline his all-round profile: a player who can dictate tempo, carry through pressure, and win the ball back when required.
Yet, for all his efficiency and reliability, there’s a growing sense that Dewsbury-Hall may not be part of Everton’s most balanced attacking setup moving forward.
His partnership with Grealish has been a curious one – aesthetically pleasing at times, but frustrating in key moments.
Both players are ball-dominant, preferring to carry and create rather than shoot or make penetrative runs beyond the defence.
That overlap in style can sometimes slow Everton’s rhythm, particularly when facing deep or compact opposition.
Moyes has experimented with Iliman Ndiaye cutting in from the left and Tyler Dibling operating from the right, a combination that offers more directness and goal threat around Grealish, who’s thriving in a free role as a No.10.
In that setup, Dewsbury-Hall’s inclusion becomes less certain – not because of form, but because of fit.
Everton’s attack looked its most fluid when Ndiaye’s willingness to shoot complemented Grealish’s creativity, with Dibling stretching play on the opposite flank.
In that configuration, Moyes gains the verticality and unpredictability that Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish together sometimes lack.
There’s no questioning Dewsbury-Hall’s value – his tactical intelligence and work rate have been crucial in solidifying Everton’s midfield.
But as Moyes refines his system, he may have to decide between control and cutting edge.
For now, Dewsbury-Hall remains a key cog in the Toffees’ evolution, yet the competition for places — and Grealish’s growing influence — could soon push him from automatic starter to strategic option.
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