Everton began the new era at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and marked the occasion with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
David Moyes earned his first three points of the 2025/26 campaign on a monumental day for the football club after the Blues lost to Leeds United last time out.
The hosts took the lead in the 23rd minute as Iliman Ndiaye etched his name into Everton history by scoring the first goal at the new stadium.
Jack Grealish was mesmerising on his league debut, as the 29-year-old assisted both Ndiaye and James Garner to make an immediate impact for the Blues.
Jack Grealish in action for Everton against Brighton and Hove Albion
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
To top it off, Jordan Pickford was back to his heroic best as he denied Danny Welbeck from the penalty spot in the second half to thwart any hopes of a late comeback.
Indeed, Garner’s sensational long-range strike was the crown jewel on top of a glorious day for Everton supporters, but Moyes has problems he wishes to address before the 1 September deadline, and the ideal solution could be sitting on the fringes at Chelsea.
Everton should reignite their interest in Ben Chilwell
Although the significance of the occasion was not lost on Moyes, the Everton boss reflected on his problems regarding defensive depth in his post-match press conference.
“We’re really short on defensive cover at the moment. And that’s a problem for us. Because in the recent months or so, we’ve had Tarky (James Tarkowski) with the hamstring, Jarred (Branthwaite), we’ve lost Myko (Vitaliy Mykolenko) as well. We’ve lost Patto (Nathan Patterson) as well, with injuries.
“So we’re finding that we’re really struggling defensively. We’ve been struggling probably since the end of last season, all through the summer, and we still are now.
Vitaliy Mykolenko impressed last season for the Blues, and the Ukrainian’s absence has left a glaring hole at left-back.
TBR Football reported in February that Everton had held talks for Ben Chilwell but opted against pursuing the defender due to more pressing concerns in central midfield.
The 28-year-old joined Crystal Palace on loan for the remainder of the campaign, and while he found opportunities limited at Selhurst Park, he did display glimpses of his ability.
Now, Chilwell is on the fringes at Chelsea and finds himself on the unwanted list at Stamford Bridge, but has yet to find a suitable landing spot this summer.
A Champions League winner with a wealth of Premier League experience, Moyes would do well to find a better solution to his defensive woes in the final days of the window.
James Garner needs to play in midfield for Everton
With Garner deputising in defence, Tim Iroegbunam lined up in midfield alongside Idrissa Gueye at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Iroegbunam featured 18 times last season, returning only one assist and has started both matches for Everton this season.
However, Moyes must find a solution at left-back which allows Garner to move back into his preferred position in midfield, with the Blues boss demanding more goals from the centre of the pitch.
James Garner of Everton celebrates scoring the second goal with Jack Grealish during the Premier League match between Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
“Jimmy Garner’s performance was fabulous, I thought he played well on Monday night as well. I thought he did a great job, his versatility is so important to us, he’s got the ability to score, he always has, and he got a good goal.
“It’s good, because he’s really a midfield player so to get his first goal on the board today is great. We want our midfield players to start getting much more goals.”