Everton beat Ipswich to stay unbeaten as Moyes refuses to discuss Europe
Toffees fifth and unbeaten after Ipswich win
Everton remain one of only five Premier League sides still unbeaten this season after a 1-0 home victory over Ipswich Town lifted them to fifth place and nine points. The win, secured by an 11th-minute strike from Thierno Barry — his fifth goal of the campaign — extended a strong start in which David Moyes' side have won two and drawn three of their opening five league fixtures.
Moyes keeps Europe firmly off the agenda
Despite the impressive beginning, Moyes is refusing to entertain talk of a return to European football, having allowed himself to dream 12 months earlier. "We are not using those words this year," said Moyes bluntly after the Ipswich result.
The caution is understandable given how the 2025-26 season unravelled. A 3-0 win over Chelsea in March had left Everton eighth and just three points off a Champions League place, sparking hopes of a first European campaign since 2017-18. But the wheels came off, with no wins in the final seven games as the club slumped to 13th — four points behind Brighton, who qualified for the Conference League, and five adrift of Sunderland, who joined Bournemouth and Crystal Palace in the Europa League.
Asked whether he had challenged his players to target Europe this term, Moyes said: "Not [saying] in front of you people [the media], that's for sure, because we're still preparing ourselves and make sure we can do the best we can. I enjoyed saying the words last year. If you think of what we had done, been relegation material when we came in January [2025], got out and won the games, 12/13 new players had to come in... But the players had done so well, I started to believe that we had a real chance, and it allowed me to be like that."
Defensive resilience papers over attacking concerns
Everton's form has been built on a solid backline. Moyes' side have kept five clean sheets in seven matches in all competitions and also won two Carabao Cup ties to set up a home last-16 tie against Newcastle in October. Yet the manager is far from satisfied, pointing to a lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
"We've had draws at Tottenham and Bournemouth away from home and we've done pretty well," Moyes said. "Keeping cleansheets is something to be pleased about and try to build on. We've statistically been making more chances and we had 21 shots [against Ipswich], which is very good, but only two on target which isn't very good.
"The players get huge credit to get to this point, unbeaten in five games. It's really good, but I'm expecting them to do this. If we're thinking 'we're doing a great job because we've gone a few games', no, the manager expects that. I'm actually more disappointed that we aren't scoring more goals. I'm rapping them like you wouldn't believe — why are we not getting better crosses into the box, better finishes, shooting from the edge of the box, not scoring more? That's the only thing we're missing from being a half-decent side."
A thin squad but still quality, says Murphy
The attacking burden has fallen heavily on Barry after Beto moved to Fiorentina on transfer deadline day, with key attacking midfielder Iliman Ndiaye joining Manchester City on the same day. Moyes returned for a second spell in January 2025 with Everton 16th and one point above the relegation zone, and he was quick to defend last season's progress.
"I heard a lot of things [said] that last year was not so good and I thought 'my goodness, I don't know what the people are talking or writing about because it's absolute baloney'," Moyes said. "It was fantastic what we did and we came so close to doing something that would have been incredibly special after no money, being on the verge of relegation, moving to a new stadium — and it has never been an easy job for anyone moving to a new stadium — so we came really close."
BBC pundit and former England midfielder Danny Murphy backed Moyes' methods. "Nothing surprises me with a David Moyes side. They're so well organised, so well motivated and always dangerous when their backs are against the wall," Murphy said. "There's been a lot of discontent among the fanbase regarding the owners and a transfer policy that left themselves short in forward areas. But the rest of the side is so well balanced, they all know their jobs, they know what they're doing and that backline with the keeper behind it is really solid.
"Because they're so well organised and defensively so good, they're always going to nick results when they're not playing well. I do understand the fans' frustration, but I didn't think for a second they'd be in any danger because they didn't get cover in for their forwards. It is a thin squad, but they've still got quality."
Pickford hails 'Everton way' before the break
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said the result was a positive way to end this stretch of the season, with the international break meaning Everton are not in league action again until 11 October, when they host Hull City.
"You have to dig in, that's the Everton way," Pickford said. "We are building momentum and we will be focused and ready to go when we come back. It was a great way to finish the week off."
On Barry, who managed just eight goals last season but now looks a greater threat — including a hat-trick in the 4-0 Carabao Cup win at Preston — Pickford added: "He works hard and the goals will come from working hard. The first year in the Premier League is always tough. He has found his feet and he has started a lot better this year. It's always good to finish with a win, especially before a long international break."