There’s something slightly masochistic about picking out Everton’s five worst games as part of our season review. It is also slightly therapeutic.
There is usually plenty of choice too given the misery of recent seasons. Thankfully, there were slightly fewer nightmare moments in 24/25 - though there are still some stone cold classics in there.
5) Everton 0-3 Brighton, 17 August
Everton FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC - Premier League Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images
A sign of what was to come in the final six months of the Sean Dyche era. The Toffees were utterly dismantled by Brighton side who were everything the home side wasn’t. The Seagulls even had a late fourth disallowed for a marginal offside, while Ashley Young’s red card compounded a miserable start to the season.
4) Tottenham 4-0 Everton, 24 August
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Everton FC - Premier League Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Things got worse a week later as Tottenham romped home to an embarrassingly easy 4-0 win. There seemed to be just an acceptance the team was going to lose, with the away end half empty well before the final whistle. Any pre-season optimism had been well and truly blown away just two weeks into the campaign.
3) Southampton 1-0 Everton, 2 November
Southampton FC v Everton FC - Premier League Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Southampton’s 24/25 vintage will be remembered as one of the worst teams in Premier League history, mustering just 12 points – one point more than Derby’s record low tally of 11 set in 2007-08. They won just twice, but typically one of those was against Everton in November. The Toffees were a touch unlucky, having a Beto equaliser disallowed for a marginal offside and seeing two efforts well saved by Aaron Ramsdale. But that does not hide the embarrassment of losing to such a poor side, who had already knocked Everton out of the Carabao Cup on penalties. Sean Dyche’s days as manager felt numbered after this.
2) Bournemouth 1-0 Everton, 4 January
AFC Bournemouth v Everton - Premier League - Vitality Stadium Photo by Zac Goodwin/PA Images via Getty Images
What is it about Bournemouth? Everton have lost eight of their past 10 games against the Cherries, including their previous five at the Vitality Stadium, and they always seem to leave the Toffees in a sense of crisis.
This was yet another miserable afternoon on the south coast for the travelling fans, with the Toffees failing to muster a shot on target for the second successive game as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat. Sean Dyche was sacked five days later.
1) Everton 2-3 Bournemouth, 31 August
FBL-ENG-PR-EVERTON-BOURNEMOUTH Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Yep, it’s Bournemouth again. In a banter era littered with ‘Everton That’ moments this is perhaps the ultimate. Comedy, calamity, catastrophe. Take your pick. A true classic of the genre.
Everton were 2-0 up and cruising to victory before collapsing in humiliating fashion, conceding in the 87th, 92nd and 96th minute to make it three successive defeats to start the season for the second year in a row (it would go on to become four with defeat at Aston Villa the following week). Bournemouth nearly scored before their third goal too in that epic fail performance.
It was the first time ever in the Premier League a side has trailed 2-0 after 87 minutes or later and gone on to win. I have never seen a collapse like it.