An overview of how Everton's 1-0 victory at St James' Park was covered beyond the Liverpool ECHO
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Jordan Pickford of Everton FC celebrates towards the Everton fans at the full-time whistle during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Everton at St. James's Park in Newcastle, United Kingdom, on May 25, 2025. (Photo by Scott Llewellyn | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jordan Pickford gestures to the travelling Everton supporters after the win at Newcastle United
(Image: Scott Llewellyn | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Everton finished the season with an impressive 1-0 win at Newcastle United. It was one so comprehensive few questioned the merit of the victory.
That theme ran through the reports of the national media, which highlighted the roles of Jordan Pickford and match winner Carlos Alcaraz in a display that helped the Blues tame a team with everything to play for.
In the Guardian, Louise Taylor heralded “the defiant brilliance of Everton’s Jordan Pickford and the attacking excellence of Carlos Alcaraz” as the pair threatened to end Newcastle's hunt for Champions League football in disappointment.
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Taylor added: “It would have felt rough justice had this masterclass in how to win away from David Moyes’s gloriously obdurate Everton dashed that long-cherished dream but, as Alcaraz headed a fine 65th-minute winner, Howe looked as troubled as at any time this season.”
It was deserved praised for the Blues, who added Newcastle to Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Fulham to the list of foes slain on home turf since manager Moyes' return.
Returning to Pickford, Taylor wrote: “Tyneside’s favourite pantomime villain demonstrated why he has 75 England caps by making a fine double save to deny Sandro Tonali from distance then Alexander Isak on the rebound. Forget the ties that bind Pickford to Sunderland, a big part of Newcastle supporters’ antipathy towards him is because they know how good he is.”
In his Daily Mail report, Craig Hope continued with the theme of Pickford being the man to spoil the party at the home of his biggest foe, going so far as to write: “For 11 minutes after Carlos Alcaraz headed Everton into a 65th-minute lead, Newcastle were outside the top five. It suddenly felt funereal inside St James’ Park, and visiting goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was the undertaker.”
After the match Blues boss Moyes told of his pride at how a team with little to play for still rose to the occasion for him. Hope honed in on the same point, writing: “David Moyes’s side had taken a hose to the red-hot atmosphere that insulated St James’ in the moments before kick-off. So much for wearing flip-flops, they turned up in boots and with their studs sharpened.”
Martin Hardy’s report in The Times focused on Newcastle’s struggle in the face of Everton’s resilience - and the rollercoaster of emotions in the home dugout and boardroom as the hosts were forced to rely on results elsewhere, scores that ultimately went in their favour: "A noisy and nervous Newcastle crowd could not galvanise the team, no matter their backing, and when Carlos Alcaraz headed Everton ahead in the 65th minute, Howe and his men slipped to sixth in the table.
"Howe slowly put his hands to his face, unable to watch a potential car-crash of an afternoon, but then came Amad Diallo’s 76th-minute goal for Manchester United against Villa. Even the grey clouds over the Leazes End cleared when Christian Eriksen scored an 87th-minute penalty to end Villa and Unai Emery’s hope of a return to the Champions League next season.”
For the BBC, Phil McNulty was full of praise for a Blues display that is a marker for next season. He wrote: “Everton confirmed their revival under Moyes with a composed, highly professional performance that almost ended Newcastle's hopes of Champions League football next season while offering the Toffees real hope and optimism for next term.
“They were 16th in the Premier League - one point clear of the relegation zone - with only three wins from 19 games when Moyes succeeded Sean Dyche in January for his second spell in charge. In the end Everton finished comfortably in 13th, and this performance full of threat and organisation bore all the Moyes trademarks.
"Now a fresh era begins in Everton's new home at Bramley Moore Dock - the Hill Dickinson Stadium - and with new owners the Friedkin Group ready to show their ambition. Alcaraz's match-winning display, in which he came close three times before scoring, was an impressive pitch to make his loan move from Flamengo permanent for £15m, while Idrissa Gueye's industry, even at 35, will surely earn him a new contract offer. And at the heart of it all was goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.”
Meanwhile, in the ECHO, the match verdict was centred on the performance of Alcaraz and his effort to convince Moyes to make his loan spell a permanent one: “He could have been basking in the aftermath of heading Everton into a deserved lead. But with his teammates fighting against an increasingly-desperate Newcastle United, he was back defending his own box.
“In the first half, Carlos Alcaraz was the first Royal Blue shirt to get out to Alexander Isak and put his body on the line to block the striker’s effort from a back post corner. Nearly an hour later, he was throwing his torso in the way of an effort by Harvey Barnes to protect the lead he had just earned.
“Between those blocks he forced Nick Pope into two impressive saves, forced Fabian Schar into a cynical foul on one of his surges from deep and then played five minutes of the second half clutching his ribs as he chased black and white shirts after being clattered on the halfway line.
“In a game that, in essence, meant little to Everton, Alcaraz played as though his career was on the line. With his future unresolved, publicly at least, the 22-year-old appeared to be fighting for the place he wants in this club’s future.”