David Moyes does not want to see a repeat of the frustration endured when Everton travelled to another newly-promoted club, Leeds United, at the start of the season
David Moyes reacts during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
David Moyes reacts during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road. Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
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David Moyes says his Everton players will know exactly what to expect when they walk out at the Stadium of Light on Monday night. The Sunderland game will be the Blues' second Monday night away match against a newly-promoted side this season.
The first was on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign as they went down to disappointing defeat to Leeds United, who came up with play-off winners Sunderland last season.
Everton struggled to gain a foothold in the fervent atmosphere under the lights at Elland Road, though after riding out the storm it took a late contentious penalty to cost them what would have been a useful first point of the season.
That experience should still be fresh in the minds of those in Royal Blue and Moyes, who managed Sunderland in the past, will have no trouble explaining to his players what to expect.
The scene will also be set by Jordan Pickford, who joined the Blues from his boyhood club Sunderland in 2017 after playing under Moyes in the north east.
Asked whether the frustrating start at Leeds provided any lessons for the trip to Sunderland, who have enjoyed a flying start to the season, Moyes said: “I think we'll go into Sunderland knowing there will be that raucous crowd on a Monday night.
“They've just come back from a great victory against Chelsea, so we'd have to expect that and we will do.
“Our form at the start of this season away from home has not been as good as we'd have liked.
“But when you think that we've been away to Man City and we've been away to Liverpool, I think you've got to wait till there's probably a bigger sample size before we look at that.
“We have to go to Sunderland and believe that we can pick up the points.”
Everton will be without Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Branthwaite after both underwent surgery.
But despite some "knocks and bruises", Moyes is hoping to take an otherwise full-strength squad to his former club.
He said: “Patto has had a small procedure on his groin, he’s obviously not available for this game.
“We’ve got a couple of knocks and bruises and one or two people with little bits, but hopefully we’ll be okay.”