- Everton consistently crash out in 3rd or 4th rounds, regardless of manager.
- Club have failed to win any of their five quarter-final appearances since 2020.
- Chronic squad rotation and tactical apathy have normalised cup failure.
For Evertonians, cup competitions were once a source of immense pride. The Toffees boast five FA Cups and a rich tradition of decent cup runs.
However, a glance at Everton’s domestic record over the last decade reveals a grim reality.
Everton’s modern relationship with the FA Cup and the League Cup (Carabao Cup) has been nothing short of dismal. Since 2017, the Toffees have consistently buckled at the earliest hurdles, turning what should be glorious runs into routine exercises in frustration.
Early exits: Costly pattern under multiple managers
As the following information from Opta’s Aaron Barton illustrates, the defining feature of Everton’s cup misery is the frequent inability to move past the opening rounds.
Everton domestic cup performances (2017–2026)
| Season | Competition | Round eliminated | Opponent | Manager |
| 2017 | League Cup | Round 3 | Norwich City | Ronald Koeman |
| 2017 | FA Cup | Round 3 | Leicester City | Ronald Koeman |
| 2018 | FA Cup | Round 3 | Liverpool | Sam Allardyce |
| 2018 | League Cup | Round 4 | Chelsea | David Unsworth |
| 2019 | League Cup | Round 3 | Southampton | Marco Silva |
| 2019 | FA Cup | Round 4 | Millwall | Marco Silva |
| 2020 | League Cup | Quarter-Final | Leicester City | Duncan Ferguson |
| 2020 | FA Cup | Round 3 | Liverpool | Carlo Ancelotti |
| 2021 | League Cup | Quarter-final | Manchester United | Carlo Ancelotti |
| 2021 | FA Cup | Quarter-Final | Manchester City | Carlo Ancelotti |
| 2022 | League Cup | Round 3 | Queens Park Rangers | Rafael Benitez |
| 2022 | FA Cup | Quarter-final | Crystal Palace | Frank Lampard |
| 2023 | League Cup | Round 3 | Bournemouth | Frank Lampard |
| 2023 | FA Cup | Round 3 | Manchester United | Frank Lampard |
| 2024 | League Cup | Quarter-Final | Fulham | Sean Dyche |
| 2024 | FA Cup | Round 4 | Luton Town | Sean Dyche |
| 2025 | League Cup | Round 3 | Southampton | Sean Dyche |
| 2025 | FA Cup | Round 4 | Bournemouth | David Moyes |
| 2026 | League Cup | Round 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | David Moyes |
| 2026 | FA Cup | Round 3 | Sunderland | David Moyes |
It hasn’t mattered who sits in the dugout. Whether it was the grim football of Sam Allardyce, the expansive tenure of Marco Silva, or the turgid football of Sean Dyche, the outcome remained identical. Even a world-class manager like Carlo Ancelotti found himself stunned by a youthful Liverpool side in the 2020 FA Cup Third Round (albeit he did fare slightly better than most overall).
False dawns of the quarter-finals
On the rare occasions Everton did manage to string a few wins together, the quarter-final stage acted as an absolute glass ceiling.
- 2020 & 2021: Under Ancelotti (and partially caretaker Duncan Ferguson), the Blues reached three quarter-finals across both competitions, only for Manchester United, Manchester City, and Leicester City to eliminate them.
- 2022 & 2024: Crystal Palace annihilated Frank Lampard’s side in the 2022 FA Cup, while Sean Dyche’s tactical blueprint fell just short in a painful penalty shootout loss to Fulham in the 2024 Carabao Cup (culminating in Amadou Onana’s abysmal, decisive spot kick)
Every single time a trip to Wembley has felt within touching distance, the team has frozen, compounding the fanbase’s collective heartache.
No change in fortune for David Moyes
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the trend continued following the return of David Moyes. This past season in particular proved a tough watch for the fans. A lacklustre Third Round exit to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup (then the worst side in the Premier League) was quickly followed by a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat against Sunderland in the FA Cup Third Round at the Hill Dickinson.
While Moyes has arguably brought a degree of stability to the club’s Premier League form, the domestic cups remain a massive blind spot.
Verdict: Time to break the cycle
Everton fans do not demand immediate silverware, but they do demand a team that treats the cup competitions with the respect they deserve. Rotating squads, lack of tactical urgency, and a defeatist mentality have ruined too many seasons.
Thirty-one years without a trophy is an untenable drought for a side of Everton’s stature and history. It’s time that the club started treating these cups seriously.
