New Everton manager David Moyes regretted his players’ performance in possession against Aston Villa – and reiterated his desire to help out-of-form striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin score again.
Twelve years after leaving the club following his first 11-year spell at Goodison Park, Moyes oversaw his first game less than a week after his predecessor Sean Dyche was sacked as the visiting Villans. won a hard-fought match 1-0.
“I have no illusions about the work I have to do,” Moyes told TNT Sports after a result that kept the Toffees one point above the relegation zone as part of a run of one goal in six league matches.
“I hate to say it, I don’t think we’ve been at our best this season” 😤
Morgan Rogers says Villa are back to their best after first away win in five games 🙌
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– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 15, 2025
“We couldn’t score any more goals tonight. We need to show a lot more quality on the ball and play better with the ball.
“I was disappointed with this game tonight; I told the players. We just didn’t play well enough and didn’t hold onto the ball as well as we should have.
Moyes on Calvert-Lewin
Moyes had challenged Calvert-Lewin to start scoring straight away on his first day at Everton’s Finch Farm training complex, and the former England international had a presentable chance during the first half before firing a shot over the crossbar from close range during added time of the second half. .
The 27-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and has made 16 appearances since his last goal, scoring away to Aston Villa on September 14.
“It’s not really much to do with David Moyes tonight, it’s a lot to do with the players”
An honest assessment from David Moyes on tonight’s defeat and the expectations ahead of Everton 💬
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“I asked Dom to see if he could get into a goal-scoring position,” Moyes said. “He can show everyone that he is a very hard-working center forward and that he can work harder.
“He had a few chances tonight – he took one in the first half and was a bit unlucky, it was a very good effort. He missed a big shot at the end, which was probably a big chance for him.
Everton vs. Tottenham
Moyes attributed Ollie Watkins’ 51st-minute winner to “a little mistake and a bad position”, adding praise for Dyche.
Only Southampton at rock bottom have won fewer matches and scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season than Everton, who host Tottenham on Sunday (2 p.m. GMT).
“Sean had some great results at the start of the season – some good draws, when we were difficult to play against,” Moyes said.
“The character [of the players] always glowed when Sean was around. They tried [tonight] but I just couldn’t get any result.
