Everton at Tottenham: Opposition Analysis | Moyes to Seek a Strong Finish As Criticism Mounts

Everton's Scottish manager David Moyes (C) reacts on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, north west England on October 26, 2025. (Photo by PETER POWELL / AFP) | AFP via Getty Images Everton blew any sliver of a chance at European qualification with an abject – on many levels – non-performance in losing 3-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium to Sunderland last weekend. Whilst the North East club are back in the top flight after eight years in the second and third tiers, they cannot be accused of failing to prepare properly for the challenge which awaited them.

After riding out a rough half hour at the Stadium of Light in early November, the Black Cats went on to trounce the visitors for the remaining hour in a 1-1 draw, before knocking them out of the FA Cup, and then completing a satisfactory trio of games against the Blues with what ended up as a comprehensive victory on Sunday. So much for this Premier League being a tough gig. I mentioned in last week’s preview that Sunderland’s ambitious owners acted proactively, decisively and without sentiment in completely reshaping their Championship play-off final winning squad over an active summer.

Mainstays of the team – such as captain and academy product Dan Neil (once an Everton target) – found themselves surplus to requirements as new signings arrived en masse, with the club getting a lot of business done early, in a structured fashion. Contrast this with the Merseysiders, who were sluggish, uncoordinated and disjointed by comparison. With club CEO Angus Kinnear’s statement that the squad rebuild would comprise a two-summer plan, then given the lack of any obvious progress in the first window, this leaves a lot of heavy lifting for this summer.

Everton conclude what has been in turns a promising, then frustrating campaign with a trip to North London, where they’ll face a beleaguered Tottenham Hotspur — currently on their third manager this term, and wallowing at 17th in the table, with a serious chance of falling out of the division. The Blues have hit a terrible run of form at a critical moment, and David Moyes will not want to end the season on seven straight winless games, as questions about his long-term future at the club grow stronger. Form Ah, Spurs eh.