- Dropping points against relegation-threatened sides has likely cost Everton.
- “Flat-Track” struggle: Despite beating Forest twice, Moyes’ side has faltered.
- Everton have secured just 16 of 33 points against the league’s strugglers.
Everton’s record against the ‘Big Six’ has never been strongest. And that trend has largely held firm under David Moyes this season. However, as the 2025/26 campaign nears its conclusion, it isn’t the losses to the giants that might haunt the Toffees. Instead, it’s their inability to put away the league’s strugglers that could prove fatal in the race for Europe.
The points gap: Missed opportunities
A closer look at Everton’s recent record against this season’s relegation confirmed/threatened sides—including the likes of Wolves, West Ham, and Spurs—reveals how a frustrating lack of a killer instinct is defining the season
Points Secured: 16
- Points Dropped: 17
- Fixtures Played: 11
Those dropped points represent the difference between Moyes’ men sitting comfortably in the Champions League places and the current reality of a late-season scramble for a Europa Conference spot.
The highs and lows of the campaign
The season breakdown paints a frustrating picture of a team that can be great in one fixture against these sides and then frustratingly blunt in another
- The good: Everton’s standout performances came against Nottingham Forest. The Toffees took a maximum of 6 points with 3-0 and 2-0 victories. The wins showed exactly what they are capable of when they find their clinical edge.
- The average: There were solid returns against Burnley and Wolves, earning 4 points from each. But failing to register four wins against two sides who spent most of the season in the doldrums feels like a missed opportunity.
- The ugly: West Ham and Leeds United inflicted the real damage. Everton dropped 5 points against each of them. When you then add in a 3-0 loss against the worst Spurs side in living memory, Everton’s failures become glaringly evident
A pattern of “what ifs”
If the Blues are to climb the table next season, they must address this lack of consistency against clubs struggling at the foot of the table
Next up for Everton are Crystal Palace, a club that has gradually slid into the bottom six (without ever being in danger of relegation). The Eagles are off form in the league and on the back of European exertions. A win on Sunday would be the perfect way for the Toffees to start putting their struggles against the strugglers behind them.
