Everton secures vital win with Prime Minister’s support
David Moyes has revealed he received a good-luck message from Prime Minister Andy Burnham before Everton marked their first Premier League home game of the season with an important victory over Crystal Palace, reports BritPanorama.
Burnham was in attendance at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, witnessing his first top-flight fixture since taking office. The Prime Minister was able to celebrate an Everton victory after goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry secured the points for Moyes’ side.
Before kick-off, the connection between Moyes and Burnham enabled them to speak, with the Prime Minister wishing the Scot luck. The encouragement ultimately proved well placed, although Everton endured several scares during an entertaining opening period.
Crystal Palace created the better clear-cut opportunities early on, with Jean-Philippe Mateta flicking over from close range before later striking the post. Eddie Nketiah was also denied by an outstanding Jordan Pickford save as the visitors threatened to punish Everton.
In a turning point, Dewsbury-Hall changed the complexion of the contest shortly before the interval with a fierce finish that gave the hosts the advantage. Barry then doubled Everton’s lead before the hour mark, heading home an Iliman Ndiaye cross as Moyes’ team took control.
Reflecting on the victory, Moyes admitted that Palace had caused his side problems on the counter-attack. “I thought it was a good performance for lots of the game,” he said. “We didn’t do well enough on the transition in the first half, we should have got lots more chances from what we did. Obviously, the goalkeeper [Pickford] makes a great save. It looks like the centre forward [Mateta] should have probably scored with the one that hits the post, I think.”
Moyes was particularly impressed by Dewsbury-Hall’s breakthrough, stating: “His goal was very good – it’s a good start for him.” There was also encouragement for the Everton boss from several younger members of his squad, including Harrison Armstrong, Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George, and Merlin Rohl, all of whom earned praise for their contributions.
“I thought Hayden’s performance was good. I thought Harrison performed well. I thought Merlin performed well,” he noted. Having enjoyed an impressive record on the road last season, Moyes believes that improving Everton’s results at home could be crucial to their ambitions this time around. “Our points total away from home last year was fantastic, and if we reach that again this season, we’ll be in another really good position,” he stated.
“We just need to make sure that our home form is a bit more regular, if we can, and get a few more wins here. So to win today was really big for us.”
The match served as a reminder that while starting strong away from home is critical, securing consistent wins at Goodison Park might define this season’s trajectory for Moyes and his squad.
