Fans display a giant tifo produced by the 1878s ahead of the match between Everton and Arsenal at Hill Dickinson Stadium on December 20, 2025
Fans display a giant tifo produced by the 1878s ahead of the match between Everton and Arsenal at Hill Dickinson Stadium on December 20, 2025(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
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So this is it. My final day covering Everton for the Liverpool ECHO.
It has been a wild ride, a rollercoaster of relegation battles, points deductions, takeover attempts and the emotional move from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
It has been a privilege though, and while my four and a half years reporting on the Blues has been challenging, I have been so very lucky to have been so close to one of football’s great clubs, tracking their trials and tribulations over such an extraordinary time.
And there have been so many wonderful moments, too. I would have loved to have got to Wembley - I know I am far from the only one to lament Everton’s persistent failure in the cups.
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But I have watched the Blues from Stuttgart to St Pauli, interviewed Frank Lampard in Sydney and seen Seamus Coleman in Sligo - and spent many hours digesting Everton’s fortunes with our columnist, Michael Ball.
There have been some incredible moments on the pitch, too, seismic occasions like the survival-clinching wins over Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, consequential results that I am hoping we will all one day be able to look back on with a smile and chuckle ‘remember when’ as Everton savour a sustained period of silverware - something this incredible fanbase badly deserves.
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Anyway, for a trip down Memory Lane during a long international break, I thought I would reflect on some of my most memorable moments. We have five examples from five categories - my favourite games, goals, away days, interviews and most notable press conferences.
Five favourite games
Richarlison celebrates his goal with a flare during the match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on May 1, 2022
Richarlison celebrates his goal with a flare during the match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on May 1, 2022(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC Official Photography Library/SmartFrame)
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May 1, 2022: Everton 1-0 Chelsea
Where do you even start with this? I very much see this as the beginning of the push that led Everton to safety under Lampard. The first coach welcome, Myra the Dog, a throat full of blue smoke, Goodison at its raucous best, Richarlison’s goal and *that* celebration with the flare and Jordan Pickford’s save of the modern era.
I still don’t know how Pickford kept out Cesar Azpilicueta’s effort that wild afternoon but what a win, and what a step that was towards safety.
May 19, 2022: Everton 3-2 Crystal Palace
That Chelsea win was the start, not the end, of the fightback. The win at Leicester City followed, Lampard fist-bumping fans on the way out of Finch Farm and that incredible celebration in the away end that went on forever and which US TV broadcast unfiltered for minutes.
But then there was the chaos, that dismal draw at Watford and that ridiculous home defeat to Brentford - Salomon Rondon coming on with Everton trailing a must-win game, getting an immediate red card for a shocking lunge and then applauding the fans on the way off has stuck with me.
It all ended with that Thursday night against Palace. The anticipation, the coach welcome, the wretched start, Jordan Ayew’s horrific tackle on Anthony Gordon and the soul-searching as Everton stared into the abyss while 2-0 down at half-time. And then, during that break, the emergence of Dele on the pitch and the most remarkable of comebacks.
Trying to capture that moment and do it justice while the stands erupted around me was one of the toughest assignments I have had but what a night. And while I know there is a sense of frustration that things got to that point that hangs over the occasion - this club should be celebrating success not survival - it was some night.
October 22, 2022: Everton 3-0 Crystal Palace
I reckon few of you would have seen a place for Palace’s next visit appearing in this list. I view this match as an age of lost innocence. After that horrendous relegation battle, Everton had sought to rebuild over the summer and they started the following season reasonably well - not amazingly, but competently.
Then came this hammering of Palace under the sunshine, with Everton playing really well and in a way that felt planned. I think, at this stage, I was still of the hope that the previous year was an aberration caused by a perfect storm of bad decisions and bad luck, and that Everton would not return to such desperation again (how wrong was that!?).
This felt like the very best of Everton under Lampard and like a relatively young, promising team had clicked into gear and that it could be the start of something.
Instead, it was the final competitive win for Lampard and the future of promise never materialised. But, maybe because I know what came next, I still look back on this afternoon quite fondly and the last time I had the naivety to think things were looking up for Everton during this period.
May 3, 2025: Everton 2-2 Ipswich Town
Everton fans hold up banners before the Premier League match against Ipswich Town at Goodison Park
Everton fans hold up banners before the Premier League match against Ipswich Town at Goodison Park(Image: (Jon Super/Everton FC))
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This might be another unexpected game for the list, but this match is special to me as it felt like the day I emotionally said farewell to Goodison.
The send off against Southampton a few weeks later was great but I loved this afternoon even if Everton couldn’t seal the day with a win.
If you remember, this was the day the 1878s led their goodbye to the Old Lady and I joined them in the Gwladys Street a few days earlier to bag up confetti and take in the scene for the calm before the storm.
The weather was great, there was a feel-good factor in the air and the game was quite good. I don’t know, I felt this was the symbolic, unofficial, fan goodbye to Goodison and what was Goodison if it wasn’t for the fans?
November 24, 2025: Manchester United 0-1 Everton
This win just about snuck through ahead of the win at Brighton under David Moyes and the demolition of Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium last season.
What a night. And where did this win come from? It felt symbolic of a new, resurgent Everton with fun, exciting players who could inspire belief and produce big moments in big games - Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye and, of course, match winner Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
That it came after that incredible spat between Michael Keane and Idrissa Gueye, who was sent off, and after the heartbreak of seeing Coleman limp off made it all the more sensational. I was made up for Dewsbury-Hall, made up for Moyes and made up for the away end. This was a great night.
Five favourite goals
Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on May 19, 202
Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on May 19, 2022(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin v Crystal Palace (May 2022)
This goal needs no explanation!
Lewis Dobbin v Chelsea (December 2023)
I really, really love this goal.
It was in that run of games just after the first points deduction when, after the shock of that Man Utd defeat, Sean Dyche’s Blues suddenly became invincible.
My love for this goal is about far more than the context of the club rallying against the deduction. Everton were 1-0 up in a raucous Goodison and Jarrad Branthwaite had just celebrated a great challenge in his own area to deny Chelsea a shot at an equaliser. Then up popped Dobbin at the other end, the youngster - the Finch Farm graduate - thrust into the limelight with his first and only goal for the Blues.
His celebration was so pure - just wild, unconstrained joy as the roof lifted off the Old Lady.
Beto v Newcastle United (December 2023)
Beto’s goal rounded off a great night under the lights at Goodison. The season before, the Magpies had delivered probably the worst defeat I can remember on Everton - it was that or the Brighton loss near the end of Lampard’s tenure. Those were the nights I feared Everton would genuinely drop to the Championship.
They didn’t, and this felt like a night of pure revenge as the Blues hammered Newcastle. Beto’s late goal saw every player touch the ball before he then ran from out wide to finish a wonderful team goal with a piece of solo brilliance. It was the cherry on top of a very tasty cake!
James Tarkowski v Liverpool (February 2025)
The finish. THE FINISH! What a strike, what a celebration, and what scenes it kicked off.
This is one of those goals that I can only ever replay in my mind in slow motion. The sheer hopefulness of Vitalii Mykolenko’s cross, the fight of Tim Iroegbunam to meet the bouncing ball with a flick and the crisp strike from Tarkowski’s boot… wow.
That VAR check was agonising but this goal and everything it meant was incredible.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall v Wolves (August 2025)
I think about this goal so much. I was right behind it at Molineux and he struck it so sweetly. It was a superb finish to a lovely Grealish dinked pass on one of my favourite away days following Everton.
This was the last game before the international break after a good start to last season and watching Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish and Ndiaye pop the ball around with such devastating panache had me excited for the season ahead.
Five favourite away days
Frank Lampard fist bumps fans as Everton get incredible send off from Finch Farm for Leicester City
Frank Lampard fist bumps fans as Everton get incredible send off from Finch Farm for Leicester City(Image: Iain Watts)
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May 8, 2022: Leicester City 1-2 Everton
For all the momentum brought about by the win over Chelsea and all the feel-good spirit that sent Everton to the East Midlands, I just had not expected this win.
It was so, so important to Everton getting over the line, though, and those celebrations at the end, referenced above, were remarkable.
An added bonus: Leicester was one of the best venues for food and this was a Sunday game, meaning the best roast in the Premier League (even better than Tottenham Hotspur) and a slice of the Foxes’ famous chocolate orange cake, which was essentially like a slice of a giant Jaffa Cake!
January 25, 2025: Brighton 0-1 Everton
This was an absolute scrap of a match in terrible conditions late in January as Everton were back on the south coast just a few weeks after being frozen in Bournemouth, where a 1-0 defeat had signalled the end of Dyche and made another relegation battle look likely.
Moyes had earned the first win of his second stint at home to Spurs the week before but this victory felt like a massive step towards carrying Everton out of the relegation fight altogether.
It was secured in a resilient fashion, too, with Calvert-Lewin and Orel Mangala suffering serious injuries and with Brighton laying siege to the Blues box.
Tempers were frayed, not helped by Ndiaye taunting the home fans with his mock-seagull celebration after scoring from the spot.
The players had a melee on the final whistle but Moyes went to the jubilant away end and the scenes made me think the fans had their club back.
April 12, 2025: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton
Back to the East Midlands again and, you know what, I did not see Everton lose at either Leicester or Forest, across seven matches.
If the Brighton win a few weeks earlier was seismic because it was a leap towards safety, the win at the City Ground was momentous because it was a surprise and came in a game that meant little to Everton and everything to Forest, who still had their sights on Champions League football at this point.
The game was quite tame until the very depths of stoppage time when Abdoulaye Doucoure scored in front of the away end and sparked incredible celebrations. The way this match ended makes it stand out for me.
August 30, 2025: Wolves 2-3 Everton
As above, this was a win of joy that pointed to Everton becoming a different beast after several years of misery.
November 24, 2025: Manchester United 0-1 Everton
Also previously covered, WHAT A NIGHT.
Five favourite interviews
Lily Barnes
This remains one of my favourite stories from my time on Everton.
I always wanted to try to tell the tales of the people behind the scenes who made the club so welcoming and Lily was a wonderful example of this.
She had so many great stories and the amount of well-wishes this piece sparked showed just how loved she was.
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Abdoulaye Doucoure in Washington D.C
Being able to follow Everton on tour was a real joy and this pre-season in the US was fascinating.
The first stop was the capital and I remember sitting with Doucoure and Paddy Boyland of The Athletic in the garden of a gorgeous hotel on a lovely summer day.
But what made this interview standout was how candid Doucoure was. So often, players are unwilling to tackle prescient talking points so I had to double take when Doucoure came out and said he wanted a new contract and had not been offered one.
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Frank Lampard in Sydney
This was another surreal moment - one of several on a trip that also saw me interview Ashley Cole on a park bench under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
I liked Lampard and found him a joy to deal with and we had a good chat that I would have loved to have built on had events not turned so dramatically once the season resumed a few weeks later.
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Seamus Coleman in Ireland
Seamus Coleman returns to Sligo Rovers with Everton
Seamus Coleman returns to Sligo Rovers with Everton(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC)
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Another great trip, I spoke to Seamus several times in Ireland and given the emotions that were clearly stirred up by his return, which included the release of the club documentary on his career and the match he played at his old club Sligo Rovers, this was a meaningful interview in which he spoke openly and honestly about his love for the club, his respect of the fans and the role he had played in saving Everton from catastrophe.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
I see shades of Coleman in Dewsbury-Hall - he is a really down to earth person who understands how privileged he is, cares about the supporters and ‘gets’ the club.
I have been lucky enough to speak to him a lot but this interview stood out for me because, at the time, there were huge calls for him to pledge international allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.
He was willing to speak openly to me and Paul Joyce, of The Times, and trusted us to convey his position on the matter, which I genuinely appreciated.
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Five press conferences
I’m not sure if these are my favourite press conferences but they are the ones that really stand out, for different reasons. As you may have seen, Moyes and I left on good terms and even when things looked bad in short clips that were cut for social media, they were only a snapshot of a wider, better relationship than often appeared in those glimpses. But these are the ones that stood out for me.
Frank Lampard v Crystal Palace
This was memorable for the sheer relief and emotion on display after Everton had stayed up. Lampard had been partying on the roof of the directors’ box and former Palace player Clinton Morrison had come through the press box to warn us Lampard was miles away from being available because of the scenes he was enjoying outside. We just about made print deadline.
Sean Dyche at Chelsea
This was an horrendous night and, coming with Everton still in a relegation fight, felt like a scary step back ahead of a crucial month for the Blues.
But what struck me most was that it ended up being Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, not Dyche, who faced a barrage from a press pack he rowed with because their focus was not on the 6-0 win but on the dispute between players over who should take a meaningless penalty.
Dyche to the ECHO, full transcript
Sean Dyche at Bournemouth
After Bournemouth I could sense something had changed and that proved to be the case over the following days. I believe him when he explains his Everton exit as a case of him concluding he could take the club no further. Dyche deserves credit for the job he did at Everton but this felt the right time for a change.
Dyche to the ECHO, transcript
David Moyes at Brighton
This was the conference after Beto scored a late equaliser earlier this year, leading to Moyes dancing on the touchlines and going viral for his comments after as he joked with us in the media room about his celebrations.
David Moyes at Bournemouth
And then there was this one. Back in that small press room at Bournemouth and back with Everton in turmoil after the fan revolt over the proposed sale of Harrison Armstrong.
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I felt under a lot of pressure going into this one because only days earlier my exchange with him in advance of the Carabao Cup clash with Preston North End had gone viral.
The stakes were high and this was a sensitive moment, but I thought Moyes handled it well and the line he delivered at the end was a powerful one.