Since David Moyes took over, Everton have produced 11.59 xG in their last eight Premier League games, scoring 15 goals in the process.
This is a huge improvement, as prior to this point, under Sean Dyche, the Toffees had only produced a total of 21.79 xG in their 19 Premier League games, scoring just 12 goals in that timeframe for the previous manager.
| Everton’s xG for & against since Moyes’ return (Premier League) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Opposition | xG for | xG against |
| Aston Villa (Home) | 1.14 | 1.21 |
| Tottenham (Home) | 1.95 | 1.12 |
| Brighton (Away) | 0.85 | 0.73 |
| Leicester (Home) | 2.46 | 0.33 |
| Liverpool (Home) | 0.95 | 0.62 |
| Crystal Palace (Away) | 0.96 | 1.72 |
| Manchester United (Home) | 1.91 | 0.41 |
| Brentford (Away) | 1.37 | 1.48 |
| Stats taken from Sofascore | ||
So, how have the Toffees gone from underachieving their xG to now overachieving their xG, turning their performances into valuable Premier League points, which have dragged them away from the relegation zone?
Beto is why.
Beto’s incredible Everton turn-around
Everton have been struggling for a consistent number nine for a few seasons now, often relying on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who, despite his excellent 2020/21 season, scoring 21 goals in 39 appearances and providing three assists, hasn’t hit those levels since, bagging scoring 18 times in the last four seasons combined.
In 2023, Everton completed the signing of Beto from Udinese, joining the club for a fee of around £25.75m.
His first season at the club didn’t turn out as planned, making 39 appearances, scoring six goals, providing three assists and featuring for just 1,307 minutes.
However, since the arrival of Moyes, Beto has had a sudden resurgence, scoring five Premier League goals in his last five outings, making it 24 appearances so far this season, scoring ten goals, providing one assist and totalling 1,153 minutes.
As good as the 27-year-old has been since Moyes arrived, Everton may have let an even more clinical finisher leave back in the same summer they acquired Beto, selling a certain star to Leicester for £7.5m.
Everton’s £7.5m mistake in the transfer market
It’s safe to say that the Toffees haven’t had the best track record when it comes to player departures with the likes of Ballon d’Or nominee Ademola Lookman and Moise Kean – the scorer of 19 goals this season – terrifying defences since departing Goodison. However, they’re not the only forwards thriving since exiting.
Tom Cannon came through the Everton academy, making 97 appearances for the U21 and U18 sides, scoring 51 goals and providing 14 assists without ever really making the grade in the senior team.
Well, after joining Leicester in 2023, Cannon enjoyed a successful loan spell, netting eight times in 21 appearances for Preston North End in the 2023/24 campaign. He then made the move to Stoke City on loan for the start of 2024/25, scoring 11 goals in 25 fixtures for The Potters.
Cannon’s form in the Championship saw him attract interest from second-placed Sheffield United, leading to a permanent transfer, with Leicester selling the 22-year-old striker to the Blades for around £10m over the winter.
Last season, Liam Rosenior (now manager of Strasbourg) praised Cannon’s performance against his Hull City side, labelling the striker as “outstanding” and “one of the best” strikers Hull had come up against under his management.
So, whilst Everton fans won’t yet be too downbeat about losing their academy graduate forward, the long-term future of Calvert-Lewin and Beto will determine how they look back on this set of events, with Cannon sure to continue improving and scoring goals.
