Everton make the long trip south to Bournemouth on Tuesday still smarting from that disastrous thrashing at the hands of Newcastle at the weekend.
It was easily the worst display since David Moyes’ return to the club and a rapid comedown after the highs of the win at Old Trafford just five days earlier.
It brutally exposed the lack of squad depth, with Idrissa Gueye’s suspension and another injury to Merlin Rohl leaving a yawning gap in midfield that Tim Iroegbunam failed to fill. The former Aston Villa man has impressed as a substitute but struggled badly from the start, with his suspect positioning repeatedly exposing a defence that was ripped to bits by Newcastle’s attacking players. The continued weakness at set pieces is also a concern, especially given their resurgence in popularity this season.
The sea of blue seats towards the end of the game said it all. It was just one of those nights where you have to take your medicine and move on.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: A general view of empty seats during the Premier League match between Everton and Newcastle United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: A general view of empty seats during the Premier League match between Everton and Newcastle United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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It does, however, leave Moyes with a quandary going into one of the busiest periods of the season. Adjustments need to be made but there is little time to work on things at Finch Farm.
A quick turnaround does offer the chance to get the result out of their system quickly, but the sight of the Vitality Stadium gives Evertonians the chills. The Toffees not only have an awful record there, but it often leaves them in a sense of crisis.
Sean Dyche’s final game was a limp 1–0 defeat at the start of January, while two defeats in four days with an aggregate score of 7–1 put Frank Lampard on the brink in late 2022, with the league defeat ending in angry confrontations between the fans and some of the players after the game.
The opposition
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth celebrates after he scores a goal to make it 2-0 with team-mates Marcus Tavernier, Antoine Semenyo and Adrien Truffert during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest at Vitality Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth celebrates after he scores a goal to make it 2-0 with team-mates Marcus Tavernier, Antoine Semenyo and Adrien Truffert during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest at Vitality Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
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Bournemouth continue to belie their status as one of the Premier League minnows by more than holding their own and often embarrassing those with greater resources.
The Cherries, similar to Brighton and Brentford, have traded well, even coping with losing three of their starting back four over the summer. And in Andoni Iraola they have one of Europe’s most highly rated young managers.
However, after a fine start to the season they have hit a bit of a stumbling block, taking just one point from their last four, most recently conceding a 2–0 goal advantage in a 3-2 defeat against Sunderland on Saturday.
In mitigation, the other two defeats were away to Manchester City and Aston Villa, and they remain unbeaten at home this season.
Then there is their fine record against the Toffees at the Vitality. They have not lost any of their eight league meetings and have won their last five in all competitions. The Cherries also beat Everton twice at home last season.
Previous meeting
Everton 0–2 Bournemouth, 8 February 2025
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford dives in vain as Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo scores their side’s first goal of the game from the penalty spot during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Picture date: Saturday February 8, 2025. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford dives in vain as Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo scores their side’s first goal of the game from the penalty spot during the Emirates FA Cup fourth round match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. Picture date: Saturday February 8, 2025. (Photo by Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
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Everton were dumped out of the FA Cup fourth round by Bournemouth at the start of February. Antoine Semenyo and Daniel Jebbison put the Cherries 2–0 up at half time, though they were given a helping hand by some awful Everton defending (sound familiar?). The Toffees improved after the break and hit the woodwork three times, but were unable to get back into the game.
David Moyes says a few of his players are carrying some bumps and bruises but would not reveal any more details. The Scot said some of those players may have missed the Newcastle game in different circumstances, but the paucity of options meant they had to play.
Jarrad Branthwaite, Nathan Patterson and Merlin Rohl remain sidelined and will be for some time. Idrissa Gueye serves the second of his three-match ban.
Final word
Bournemouth away should be in August or May, not a cold, wet midweek in December, so I feel for the Evertonians heading all that way to the south coast. It has been a fairly miserable trip in recent years too, but if the players can replicate the level of performance we saw against Manchester United rather than Newcastle, then they have a chance to bounce back straight away.