Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas discusses the positives he left west London with at the weekend
Tyrique George on the ball during the Premier League match between Brentford and Everton at Gtech Community Stadium on April 11, 2026. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Tyrique George on the ball during the Premier League match between Brentford and Everton at Gtech Community Stadium on April 11, 2026. Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
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The dominant conclusion within the Everton camp after the game at Brentford was that it represented a good point for the Blues.
This was a tough opponent, one that has matched Everton’s league performance this season, won at Hill Dickinson Stadium and came close to delivering a serious blow to the visitors as both sides continued their fight for Europe. That Everton were not at their best yet still found a way to prevent that from happening is a real positive.
It only remains a promising sign if Everton can show their lack of rhythm was a one-off and hit their groove in the coming weeks but they left the Gtech Community Stadium with momentum - the spoils may have been shared but having watched the players, staff and supporters of both sides in the aftermath of the final whistle, it was clear which set felt the happier.
It remains tempting to see the game as a missed opportunity but having been there, my opinion is that it would have been very easy for the Blues to have blown up in west London and suffered a costly defeat that really set them back in the race for midweek football on the continent.
It was cold, it was wet, it was windy, a few things went against Everton - when I spoke to former Everton defender Michael Ball for his column this week, he pointed out that the Blues have pressed self-destruct when adversity has struck on a few occasions and was delighted that this time they showed the resilience and fight to mount a comeback.
The reality with this race for Europe is that it is likely to remain tight to the end of the season - it is difficult to see any of the teams involved piecing together a run of wins that takes them clear of the others. In that case, the crucial thing is to keep grinding out results and to avoid making bad days worse by errors or misjudgements.
Everton could easily have left London three points behind Brentford and with the pack having caught them, but they dug deep. Contrast that to Newcastle United. At half-time they were winning at Crystal Palace and looking strong contenders to emerge from the clutch of teams squabbling for the top seven. Then they conceded not once but twice late on - a point would have been OK but the defeat has left them with an awful lot to do. It is those type of decisive blows Everton need to avoid and they achieved that on Saturday.
Everton showed the stubbornness, resilience and defiance to rescue a point. Newcastle fell apart. That could make a huge difference come the end of May and it is that dogged perseverance - David Moyes described it to me as “maturity” after the game - that is one of several positives I took from the fixture. Here are some others.
Beto scores again and will take form into one of his favourite opponents
Moyes has spent a season waiting for this. Maybe as much as a year. When he had no other choice last season, just weeks into his tenure and with the surge in form he immediately inspired still in its infancy, Beto stepped up. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja all out injured, the Guinea-Bissau international found the hot streak that carried Everton to comfort.
The goals dried up about this time last season but in that spell, Beto did enough to reduce relegation fears to a distant memory and enough to convince Moyes that he was capable of hitting a season-defining run.
That belief formed part of the summer transfer policy, including the decision to part ways with Calvert-Lewin. Surely Beto would be able to replicate what he did across February and March last year for a period this season - maybe longer, thus giving Thierno Barry more time to settle.
We may now finally be seeing it. That late equaliser at Brighton, the equally opportunistic goal in the win at Newcastle and that brace against Chelsea - he now has seven goals in the league this season and three in his last two matches, taking his form across the international break. Had Everton had a goalscorer able to take their chances in the first half of the season then they would have one foot in Europe now. They would probably be in the top five.
They didn’t, and Beto’s inconsistency will make for a compelling debate over his future in the summer. But if he can extend his run of form into a few more games then that will be a massive help and it is tantalising that it is Liverpool up next - a defence he seems to discombobulate with greater effectiveness that any other.
Moyes appears settled on his first XI
By sticking so closely to the team that did well at Arsenal before succumbing to those late goals and then that hammered Chelsea, I think Moyes has now settled on his first XI (given the absence of Jack Grealish).
Michael Keane was unfortunate to lose his place but I think the collective memory of the nightmare Igor Thiago caused to him and James Tarkowski at Hill Dickinson Stadium in January meant a change was a necessity and Jarrad Branthwaite is, when fit, one of the best centre backs around. That he was fit to start after recent caution around his usage was a positive.
With Beto in the XI and Dwight McNeil keeping his spot, Moyes appears to have found a blueprint to take into the next six games and that consistency should help.
Tyrique George joins the party
While that is the case, Everton will need to dig deep to get the points to get into Europe and, given how tight the league has been all season, it is likely that most of the final six matches will be tense games that go to the wire. As it stands, only the trip to Crystal Palace looks like it will be against an opponent not competing for either survival or Europe.
In such affairs, Everton will need to find some magic from the bench. As good as the first XI have been, in various guises, that has been lacking.
But there are options and in Tyler Dibling and Tyrique George, Everton have two super-talented England U21s who are yet to make a breakthrough at the Blues but who hold so much potential. It was interesting that Moyes went for George over Dibling at the weekend but the move was vindicated.
Yes, George lost Michael Kayode in the build up to Brentford’s fortuitous second. The 20-year-old responded very well, though, and was impressive as he sought the ball and others looked willing to give it to him.
George showed pace, skill and a willingness to beat his man and that is something this side has lacked at times. If he can become an effective weapon - and maybe help those around him to also emerge - then that will serve Moyes well.
Moyes looking to be proactive
Finally, having talent on the bench is only useful if you are willing to use it, There have been times this season when Moyes has appeared strangely reluctant to do just that but, on Saturday, he was proactive and made a series of changes around the 70th minute that looked like an attempt to seize control of the game. Thiago’s second quickly followed but George helped Everton fight back and the equaliser eventually came.
I was pleased Moyes moved to change the game - I am hoping it is a sign he will look to dictate matches, or at least attempt to grab opportunities when he senses them. It also suggests a bit more faith in the younger players on the periphery of the squad, which is no bad thing.
*A version of this first featured in the Royal Blue newsletter, available here