Everton's Mixed Fortunes: Stunning Chelsea, New Stadium, and European Ambitions
Everton shocked Chelsea with a 1-0 victory at Kingsmeadow, ending Chelsea's 585-day, 34-match unbeaten run in the Women's Super League. Honoka Hayashi scored the decisive winner, and the match was analyzed on the Guardian Women's Football Weekly podcast aired on 9 December 2025. The episode also highlighted performances including Bunny Shaw’s impact off the bench and Olivia Smith’s standout contribution, while discussing Liverpool’s defensive improvements and implications for the title race. Arsenal and Spurs also secured important wins, as did both Manchester clubs. The podcast featured a detailed look into Guardian's Top 100 best female footballers of 2025, with Aitana Bonmatí topping the list again.
Meanwhile, Everton’s men's team have been making strides after moving into a new 52,769-seat stadium, a project costing about £750 million. Having won four of their last five matches, Everton currently sit seventh in the league, two points behind fourth-placed Crystal Palace. Sean Dyche returned to watch their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, while their recent 1-0 victory at Manchester United marked their first win there since 2013, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scoring and Jordan Pickford making crucial saves despite 25 United shots.
However, Everton's attack remains a concern, having scored 18 league goals in 15 games—only a few teams have scored fewer. Beto and Thierno Barry have contributed just two league goals combined and carry negative expected goal (xG) differences. Since Romelu Lukaku's departure in 2017, Everton have scored the fewest league goals in the division with 366. Jack Grealish has been a creative force, generating 29 chances this season. Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are joint top scorers.
Defensively, Everton have kept four clean sheets in five games, conceding an xG of 23.31 and facing 194 shots, with Pickford saving 74% of shots. Their attacking metrics show a mid-table position with 12th for xG, 13th for big chances, 7th for xG per shot, and 8th for touches in the penalty area. Manager David Moyes has expressed a desire to be more positive moving forward. This season reflects a blend of promise and challenges for Everton across both their men's and women's teams.
