Everton

Reports earlier this week suggested Lopetegui was hanging on by a thread at West Ham, with the Hammers having made a poor start to their Premier League campaign.

A flat performance for large parts on Saturday failed to offer the response West Ham fans will have wanted to see from their side following last week's loss to Nottingham Forest.

The Hammers did, though, create the biggest chances during an improved second-half display, with Crysencio Summerville hitting the post and Jordan Pickford making a brilliant save to deny Danny Ings late on.

West Ham faced some boos from their supporters at half-time, while there was a spattering of jeers at full-time at London Stadium, but Lopetegui claimed the pressure is not telling.

"It's normal that the fans were not happy. We’re not happy with 12 points," he said.

"At the same time, other teams who look fantastic, only have three or four more points than us. We can do better, we're not happy, but we can take positives. We want more, we are not happy, we will work 24/7 to achieve this.

"Sometimes it's about the intensity, and to have the personality to do things. I think we have to improve in this. The players need to say 'Here I am and we are going to do this'.

"I always work under pressure, this is not new. I'm very happy with the players, with the club. We are not happy with our position but we are sure we are going to be able to finish higher in May – a lot of things can change.

"We are doing good things, but not enough of them to be consistent."

Everton got back on track after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Southampton last week. The Toffees could have scored through Abdoulaye Doucoure, while Jesper Lindstrom saw a header kept out by Lukasz Fabianski.

Sean Dyche said: "It's a good point, a good clean sheet. A solid performance.

"We obviously couldn't find that bit of edge in the attacking third and the bit of devil that is sometimes the difference, but a solid feel to the performance.

"We didn't really give much up, away from home in the Premier League, that’s difficult. In the end, we come away wondering if that’s one we could have won, but equally, Jordan makes a fantastic save."

On Tuesday, Lowe scored the first of 4 goals in a 4-1 demolition of the Toffees at Vitality Stadium and is feeling confident with the teams set up for a quick repeat of the fixture in league competition.  With both teams struggling just above the relegation zone and Bournemouth winless in their last 5 games Lowe is eager to drive home any possible advantage.

"I think it will give us a slight physiological edge on Everton, I feel like they'll have a little bit of doubt in their mind, and we'll go into the game confidently,” Lowe said of the upcoming fixture.

The 26-year-old has made just one appearance, from the bench, so far this Premier League season but could be in contention for Saturday’s matchday squad after a creditable performance on Tuesday.

“I think it shows how hard we work during the week that players who haven't played that much were able to put out a performance like that today (Tuesday)."

Reigning English champions City last year became just the fourth club ever to top the list, which examines the top-performing football clubs in terms of revenue every year.

City remained the world's highest revenue-generating club in the 2021-22 campaign – the first season in which fans returned to stadiums as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

They made £619.1million (€731m) over that period to finish ahead of LaLiga giants Real Madrid (€713.8m), while Liverpool climbed from seventh to their highest position of third after making £594.3m (€701.7m).

Fellow English clubs Manchester United (fourth), Chelsea (eighth), Tottenham (ninth) and Arsenal (10th) also make the top 10, with West Ham (15th), Leicester City (17th), Leeds United (18th), Everton (19th) and Newcastle United (20th) in the top 20.

It marks the first time in the report's 26 years that a single country has provided more than half of the rich list.

"The Premier League was the only one of the big five European leagues to experience an increase in its media rights value during its most recent rights sale process," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte's Sports Business Group.

"It continues to appeal to millions of global followers and its member clubs have a greater revenue advantage over international rivals."

Paris Saint-Germain (fifth), Bayern Munich (sixth), Barcelona (seventh), Juventus (11th), Atletico Madrid (12th), Borussia Dortmund (13th), Inter (14th) and Milan (16th) make up the rest of the top 20.

In the women's game, Barcelona generated the highest revenue (€7.7m) after winning the Champions League in 2021 and reaching the final last year.

United are among the favourites to seal a top-four Premier League finish after winning each of their three games since returning to action at the beginning of the festive period.

The Red Devils have swept aside struggling sides Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth without conceding a single goal since the World Cup, and Ten Hag is satisfied with their progress.

"Let's say this – I think we are in a good position, we are where we want to be," Ten Hag said at Thursday's press conference ahead of their FA Cup tie against Everton.

"The focus is from game to game, we play in many competitions, so we have to not think too far ahead.

"We have to go from game to game and work on progressing. It's all about the team firstly, and the individuals second. When the team plays well, the individuals will get better."

While a return to the Champions League is a key aim for United, the club are also desperate to end a six-year trophy drought, having last lifted a piece of major silverware when they won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

Asked what it would mean to land a trophy in his first season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag said: "I don't think about that. 

"In this stage of the season, it's not what you are looking at. You have to look to get into a position where you can win something. There are so many games to play.

"When you think too far ahead, you get distracted. We have to think about the team's performance, the team's development. We have to concentrate on that and work together to get it better."

Ten Hag led Ajax to two KNVB Cup triumphs in his four-and-a-half-year spell with club, and the Dutchman is excited for his first taste of FA Cup football.

"For me, the cup is always special. I know in England the FA Cup has even higher expectations and standards than in the Netherlands, but I liked it in the Netherlands as well," Ten Hag said.

"In not so many games, you can achieve a lot. There also has to be a winner, with a replay if it's a draw. It's a knockout and I like that."

Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee both scored twice to ensure the Portuguese continued his unbeaten start to life at Old Trafford.

Rashford scored the first goal of the Amorim era last weekend and opened the scoring again here, netting after 34 minutes before adding his second shortly after the second half kicked off.

Zirkzee followed suit, clinically slotting his two efforts into the back of the net for his first goals since the opening day of the season.

United move up to ninth on 19 points, while Everton remain in 15th, two points above the relegation zone.

Data Debrief: Amorim off the mark

After claiming his first win as United head coach in midweek, Amorim followed it up with a comfortable victory that sent the team into the top half of the table. 

In fact, Amorim is the first United manager to be 2+ goals up at half-time of his first Premier League home game.

Rashford now has three goals under the Portuguese. By scoring twice on Sunday, he is now just the sixth Red Devils player to net 50 Premier League goals at Old Trafford. 

Meanwhile, Everton are now without a goal in each of their last four matches. This is the seventh game in which they have failed to score this campaign, the most of any team in the competition. 

Fellaini left Shandong Taishan in November after four years with the Chinese club and has decided to bring his 18-year playing career to an end.

The Belgium international, who made 87 appearances for his national team, started out with Standard Liege before lengthy spells with Everton and United.

A post shared by Marouane Fellaini (@fellaini)

“I am writing this post to announce that after a career of 18 years, I am retiring from professional football,” Fellaini said on Instagram.

“What an incredible journey it has been! I am so grateful to have played the sport I love at the highest level.

“I am proud to have represented Standard in Belgium, Everton and Manchester United in the UK, and Shandong Taishan in China. It was an honor (sic) to have played for the Belgian national team at the Olympics of 2008, Euro 2016 and the World Cups of 2014 and 2018.

“I have played in front of the best fans in the world, and I want to take this moment to thank all of them for their unwavering support throughout my career. Your encouragement and passion have been a constant source of inspiration for me.

“As I embark on this new chapter in my life, I look forward to new challenges, but be assured, I will continue to support the beautiful game in any way I can.”

Fellaini won an FA Cup and Europa League during his time with Manchester United and helped Belgium to third place at the 2018 World Cup before enjoying league and cup success with Shandong.

The Saints have picked up just one point from their first nine games back in the Premier League ahead of Saturday's visit of Everton to St Mary's. 

All three of Southampton's wins so far this season have come in the EFL Cup, most recently beating second-tier Stoke City 3-2 on Tuesday. 

Despite only just scraping through thanks to a late winner after squandering a two-goal lead, Martin wants it to be used as a springboard to push on in the league. 

"We need to celebrate every victory as a group," Martin said. "Whether it's against a Championship team in the cup, a Premier League game, you have to enjoy those moments together. 

"The guys were a bit annoyed coming in, they didn't look very happy, so I reminded them they're allowed to smile. By the end they are smiling and the music was on. Hopefully we can carry that on on Saturday." 

Everton are eight points better off than bottom-place Southampton in 16th, having recovered from a slow start by collecting nine points across a five-game unbeaten run. 

The Toffees were far from their best in last weekend's clash with Fulham at Goodison Park, but Beto came off the substitutes’ bench to rescue a last-gasp 1-1 draw. 

And that spirit to fight until the end is something manager Sean Dyche wants to see more of from his side as they prepare for their trip to England's South Coast. 

"I thought we were short of where we have been against Fulham," he said. "On the other hand, the balance of football is it lasts for 90-plus minutes. I have asked the players for relentlessness and I thought that was on show. 

"We weren't playing our best, but we found a way to get something from the game. Over a season, it is important to keep getting something from games in the Premier League." 

PLAYERS TO WATCH  

Southampton - Jan Bednarek  

Bednarek has started all nine of Southampton's games in the Premier League this season and also started the midweek cup win over Stoke. 

While he boasts the second-most completed passes (691) of all players in the division this season, he is currently on the longest run of starts without winning a game (22) since Jonny Evans between April 2017 and January 2018 (28 games). 

Everton - Ashley Young 

Young has managed to prove his doubters wrong with recent performances, which includes three assists in his past five Premier League appearances - as many as he had across his previous 124. 

The full-back is one of three players to have assisted as many as three goals after turning 39 years of age, along with Teddy Sherringham and Ryan Giggs. 

MATCH PREDICTION - DRAW 

Southampton are without a win in their past 22 Premier League matches - only Derby County (32) and Sunderland (26) have even endured longer runs. 

Should the Saints lose this weekend, they will equal Sheffield United's unwanted record for the fewest points (one) after the first 10 games of a Premier League season. 

Everton, meanwhile, are five league games without defeat after losing their previous five, making this their best-such run since between August and October 2022 under Frank Lampard (six games). 

The Toffees have lost five of their last seven top-flight games away at Southampton, though, albeit the most recent such trip ended in a 2-1 win in October 2022. 

One further glimmer of hope for Southampton is that they have won 13 Premier League home games against Everton - against no side have they won more often on home soil (also 13 wins versus Newcastle United). 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Southampton - 37.5% 

Everton - 36.2% 

Draw - 26.3%

Duran completed Aston Villa’s comeback in a 3-2 win against Everton at Villa Park, having been two goals down to the visitors after 27 minutes.

The Colombian was subbed on after 69 minutes and scored just seven minutes later. All three of his goals this season have been winners from the bench, meaning he has now scored the most winners as a substitute in a Premier League season ever.

Having witnessed his decisive impact today, Martinez believes he can be one of the best in the game.

"I have seen it from behind and I saw the ball moving - it was unstoppable,” the Argentine told Sky Sports, referencing his goal.

"It was a great strike. We have been trying to help Duran in the Premier League and if he can keep the consistency, he can be a really big threat.

"He can be one of the best strikers in the world, but he needs to keep his feet on the ground and to work hard. He has one of the top strikers [Ollie Watkins] in England playing in front of him."

His fellow striker Ollie Watkins scored a brace to bring Villa level against Everton prior to Duran’s strike.

It was the first time he had scored for the club since April 2024, though he had clearly been getting in the right positions. Before his first goal of the game, he had the highest xG total (1.58) in the league among those yet to score.

Watkins had a shortened pre-season after starring for England at Euro 2024.

“There’s such a quick turnaround from the Euros. A lot of the boys are getting back up to fitness,” Watkins told Sky Sports.

“I’m not at 100%. I took some time off during the international break. I don’t want to miss too many matches, though.

“I’m disappointed I didn’t get the hat-trick. I should be coming off with the match ball, but I’ll settle for the two.

“We were obviously unlucky against Arsenal. We’re delighted we got [the win] today. Now we focus on the Champions League, which everyone is looking forward to.”

The Toffees were set to welcome the Premier League leaders to Goodison Park on Saturday for the final time in the English top flight.

However, after a meeting between both clubs and representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council, Everton confirmed the scheduled showdown will now be played at a later date due to safety concerns.

"Whilst we appreciate this will be deeply disappointing for supporters, the safety of fans, staff and players is of paramount importance," a club statement read.

Two Championship fixtures - Cardiff City v Watford, and Plymouth Argyle v Oxford United - have also been postponed this weekend, along with Bristol Rovers' League One clash with Bolton Wanderers. 

In the standout third-round tie of the day, Liverpool host their local rivals at Anfield and Jurgen Klopp has made the most of the opportunity to rest key players, as he had previously suggested.

But among those to profit is new signing Minamino, who joined at the start of the month following a reported £7.25million move from Austrian side Salzburg.

The Japan international had impressed in two Champions League matches for Salzburg against the Reds in the first half of the season, scoring in the 4-3 defeat to Klopp's men in October.

He was ineligible to feature in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Sheffield United on January 2, but following confirmation of his registration, the 24-year-old comes straight into a starting XI that does not include Roberto Firmino, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane.

Nathaniel Phillips, Neco Williams, Pedro Chirivella, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Divock Origi get rare starts for the Reds, while Everton have named a line-up almost at full-strength in Carlo Ancelotti's first Merseyside derby.

Richarlison, Theo Walcott and the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin lead the line, while Mason Holgate keeps his place at the back alongside Yerry Mina, with Michael Keane still benched.

Everton will leave Goodison for their new 52,000-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock at the end of the 2024-25 season.

A run of one defeat in seven matches (two wins, four draws) has boosted the Toffees' hopes of surviving the current campaign in the top flight, and Ndiaye – a pre-season arrival from Marseille – says being part of club history was a key attraction when he joined.

"Obviously, I wanted to be part of that history of playing in the last-ever season at Goodison Park," Ndiaye told the club's website.

"So many things have happened here, it's full of history and we are the last players to represent this club here, so it's important we give everything we have.

"Then, the new stadium that is coming, I think that excites everyone. It's seriously impressive. 

"The players who have been here for a long time and the players who have just arrived, I know we are all ready to give more than 100% to have the best season possible and go into the new stadium in a good place."

Brentford are six points clear of Everton in 11th, just three points adrift of Manchester City in third, though all their 16 points have been won on home turf.

Sepp van den Berg has played in nine of their 11 Premier League games this term after arriving from Liverpool, and the defender has heaped praise upon Thomas Frank for making him feel welcome.

"For me, Brentford was one of the first clubs interested and, as well as getting the chance to play in the Premier League and live in London, it was speaking with Thomas Frank," he said.

"The first meeting we had, he was asking me some straight questions: 'Why do you want to play for Brentford? Why do we need you at Brentford?' It was so direct, it was like a proper job interview!

"Of course, the football part has to be right as well – and it was. But Thomas just made me feel like I was really wanted here."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Everton – Jarrad Branthwaite 

Since the start of last season, Everton have a win percentage of 35% and have earned 1.3 points per game in the Premier League when Branthwaite starts, compared to a 17% win percentage and 0.8 points-per-game without him in their starting XI. 

Indeed, the Toffees have lost just one of the last eight league games in which he has started (five wins, two draws). The England international made his first start since August last time out in their goalless at West Ham, which was a massive boost for Dyche.

Brentford – Bryan Mbeumo 

Only Mohamed Salah (14), Erling Haaland (12), Cole Palmer (12) and Bukayo Saka (10) have been directly involved in more Premier League goals this season than Mbeumo (nine – eight goals, one assist).

He has, though, played more minutes without a goal involvement in the competition against Everton than any other side (528 – 13 shots, five chances created). He will be determined to set that record straight at Goodison Park.

MATCH PREDICTION – EVERTON WIN

This match should offer an interesting clash of styles. Only Crystal Palace (0.089) average a lower xG per shot figure than Everton (0.093) in the Premier League this season, while Brentford are the side with the highest xG per shot in 2024-25 (0.149).

The Bees have seen 44 goals scored across their 11 Premier League games so far this season (22 for, 22 against), the most of any side. 

Indeed, only Newcastle United in 1999-00 and Arsenal in 2011-12 have both scored and conceded 20+ goals in fewer games from the start of a campaign in the competition (10).

Brentford have, however, lost all five of their Premier League away games this season; only in 1924-25 and 1961-62 (both nine) have they ever lost each of their opening six or more away matches of a league campaign.

Everton have lost only two of their last 10 Premier League games at Goodison Park (six wins, two draws), while they also have three straight wins against Brentford in the competition, after failing to win any of their first three against them (one draw, two defeats).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Everton – 40.5%

Brentford – 32.5%

Draw – 26.9%

Ndiaye was brought in from Marseille in the summer, and has made a bright start to life at Everton.

He scored his first Premier League goal on Saturday, putting Everton 1-0 up against Leicester City, though Sean Dyche’s team – for the fourth game running in all competitions – gave up their lead.

Everton managed to hold on to claim their first point of the season, and there was good news for the club on Monday, as it was confirmed The Friedkin Group, which also owns Serie A club Roma, had struck a deal to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake.

While the formalities of that deal are completed, Everton will be looking for an immediate improvement on the pitch, starting against Crystal Palace on Saturday, and in-form Ndiaye is hoping to kick-start that.

Speaking to evertontv, he said: "I’m happy, but I’m still not as I want to be. I want to be on more goals. I want to be on more assists and help the team to win games – make the difference.

"Obviously, it’s a team game. I can’t do everything by myself, so we’re helping each other out. But yes, I’m happy with how it’s going so far for me, personally.

"We’re creating chances, but now it’s about winning games. I’ve said before that we have a great team and great players. It’s what you want to do in a game – you want to create yourself chances, which we’re doing.

"I haven’t been told if I’m a fans’ favourite yet or not, but I see the love from the fans already.

"I just try to give them back what they’re giving to me. They want to see us win and that’s what they deserve. We should have more points right now, but we’ll just take it step by step from today – and hopefully, the future is bright."

Palace and Everton are two of six teams yet to win a Premier League game this season, which is the first instance of as many sides being without a victory five matches into a campaign.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Everton – Dwight McNeil

McNeil, who has been playing centrally as of late as Dyche has looked to accommodate Ndiaye on the left wing, has created more chances (20) and more big chances (six) than any other player in the Premier League so far this season.

Crystal Palace – Eberechi Eze

No player has been involved in more of their team’s shots this season than Eze (30 – 10 chances created + 20 shots).

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Opta’s win probability is struggling to decide between these teams, so do not be surprised if it finishes all square at Goodison Park.

Everton have lost both of their Premier League home games so far this season. Only four times in their history have they ever lost their first three at home in a single league campaign, though one of these was last term (also 1958-59, 2005-06 and 2008-09).

Palace’s last three games, meanwhile, have ended in draws. They have not drawn four consecutive league games since October 2021 under Patrick Vieira.

Everton are winless in their last six Premier League games (D1 L5), despite taking the lead in four of those matches (D1 L3). Indeed, the Toffees have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (eight).

After winning four of their first six Premier League away games against Everton (L2), Palace are winless in their last nine visits to Goodison Park in the competition (D4 L5).

Everton have lost just one of their last 19 Premier League meetings with Crystal Palace (W9 D9), a 3-1 loss at Selhurst Park in December 2021.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Everton – 37%

Crystal Palace – 36.7%

Draw – 26.3%

The attacker, who grew up in the same area of Paris as Kylian Mbappe, had long attracted admiring glances from some of Europe's biggest clubs, so PSG were eager to not let another get away.

Two years earlier, Kingsley Coman left for Juve when it became clear a route into the starting XI – and the France squad – was more straightforward in Turin than in Paris and, although injuries have since disrupted his career, there's little doubt PSG have been made to rue their ineptitude on that front.

Ikone's emergence was supposed to redeem PSG. For much of the QSI era, their use of homegrown young players has been heavily scrutinised.

"Jonathan is a midfielder with a big future," club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said after the contract was announced. "His signature is another example of the importance the youth academy holds for the club and just how much the club is counting on these young academy graduates."

But in 2018, PSG sold Ikone to Lille for a relatively insignificant fee – and the player has blossomed since his departure. 

False hope and new beginnings

After helping PSG to the UEFA Youth League final in 2015-16, Ikone's new contract was followed by promotion to the first team. He made a smattering of appearances before being allowed to join Montpellier on loan in January 2017.

This spell provided Ikone with his first genuine exposure to first-team football, playing 14 times in the second half of the 2016-17 Ligue 1 season.

He returned to Montpellier for the following campaign and, while it was not quite as fruitful as his first stint at the club, he did enough to earn a reported €5million switch to Lille, whose applaudable transfer policy in recent years has seen them snap up a host of well-regarded young players.

"We can say that PSG train young players very well, but actually playing there is complicated," Ikone told L'Equipe last year. "But the training you get in Paris, it's the best. Really, I enjoyed my time at PSG. I have no regrets. Getting playing time there is difficult, there are really great players there. So, I decided to show my talent at another club."

The transfer again raised doubts from some with respect to PSG's handling of their academy, while others suggested Ikone had not done enough to earn fresh terms, with the chance to earn a reasonable fee too good to turn down for PSG given his deal was due to expire in 2019.

Lille are reaping the rewards and will likely earn a significant fee when – if – he eventually leaves, with the latest reports suggesting he could be bound for the Premier League and Everton. At least PSG managed to secure a sell-on fee, which could amount to as much as 40 per cent of €70m, Les Dogues' apparent asking price.

Establishing himself

Although his skill set makes him a versatile option in attack, Ikone is at his most threatening when deployed as a no.10, behind the main striker.

The inside-right channel is where he operates most often, coming inside on to his left foot, allowing him a greater range of options whether he's dribbling, looking for a disguised pass or simply feeding Victor Osimhen into the space beyond defences.

Having been a regular option throughout the French youth setup, Ikone earned his first call-up to the senior side in September and netted on his debut, becoming the first player to do so for Les Bleus since Younes Kaboul and Marvin Martin in June 2011.

Skilful and inventive on the ball, there is a lot to like about Ikone, but he will not need anyone to tell him that staying in contention is not going to be an easy job.

France are blessed with a host of options in attack, many of whom boast similar strengths to Ikone.

Menacing but not in it for the long haul

Having scored three and set up nine goals in Ligue 1 last term, Ikone cannot be accused of a lack of consistency or taking a drastic backwards step. With a chunk of the season still remaining, he has the same amount of goals and six assists.

Ikone is averaging a goal involvement every 230 minutes, five less than last term, and appears to be playing with even greater confidence.

After averaging 3.6 dribbles per game in 2018-19, that's increased to just under five in 2019-20, while his completion rate has remained almost identical at 55 per cent. By comparison, Neymar's is 56 per cent.

Nevertheless, Ikone's productivity in the final third has significant room for improvement.

With 31 key passes, he is way behind the likes of Dimitri Payet (87), Angel Di Maria (77) and Zinedine Ferhat (52).

There are also doubts about his endurance. Since the start of last season, Ikone has been taken off 43 times in Ligue 1 alone.

But, at 21, he is developing impressively. While €70m may look a little steep at the moment, any potential buyer will hope there is still plenty more to come.

O’Neil’s side were the creators of their own downfall against the Cherries last time out, conceding three penalties as they fell to a 4-2 defeat at Molineux.

Wolves’ eighth defeat of the season leaves them in the relegation zone after 13 games this season, though they are just two points behind Wednesday’s opponents Everton.

Their struggles have been at both ends of the pitch, scoring 22 goals and conceding 32 after 13 games in the Premier League this season – the earliest in a top-flight campaign a team has scored more than 20 and conceded more than 30 goals since Watford in 1984-85.

"Incredibly disappointing and self-inflicted. Some crazy errors there, especially early in the game. It is disappointing. The lads are equally disappointed,” O’Neil said.

"We need to turn our attentions quickly to Wednesday, with a big test against Everton.

"Crazy, crazy penalties to give away. We have to write those off because you can't win games if you concede goals like that. Any error as big as those, at this level, is going to be tough to bounce back from.

"We have given ourselves a mountain to climb, which we haven't done in the last four games.”

Everton, meanwhile, were thrashed 4-0 by Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United, marking the fifth time they have lost a Premier League game by a 4+ goal margin under manager Sean Dyche.

But the Toffees had started brightly at Old Trafford, albeit without offering too much in the way of a threat until the Red Devils hit the front with the aid of a deflection and a mistake by Jarrad Branthwaite.

Confident his side can bounce back from a disappointing defeat, Dyche recognises his side must return to their defensive solidity – a trait which helped them to keep four clean sheets out of six games heading into Sunday’s game – while also trying to find more potency in front of goal.

“Well, the strangest thing is we've been down this road before, unfortunately, where the pressure comes on and we have to respond, and then we do respond, and we win a game, and we change it somewhat,” Dyche said.

“It's been a hard narrative to change for a long time both with me and before me. We consistently are working hard to change it. We move forward, we drop back, we move forward, we drop back.

“And then we can't find that killer edge and then the mistakes come in and it's got away from you too quickly. So, [we need to be] eradicating the mistakes and going again and bringing that mentality that we've shown many times before.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Everton – Dwight McNeil

McNeil has both had the most shots (13) and created the most chances (13) for Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League this season, both an average of 2.2 per 90 minutes.

He’s the first player to average more than two shots and two chances created per 90 mins in a season (min. 500 minutes) since Gylfi Sigurdsson in 2018-19 (3.1 shots, 2.5 chances created).

Wolves – Matheus Cunha

Cunha has scored 15 away Premier League goals for Wolves, only the second player to do so along with Raul Jimenez (18).

The Brazilian has also scored in each of his last four away appearances, with Steven Fletcher the only other Wolves player to do so during the 2011-12 campaign (also four in a row).

MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON WIN

Despite being favoured by Opta’s data-led simulations, Everton have lost their last three home league games against Wolves. It’s their longest losing home run against them, and as many defeats as they’d suffered in their previous 18 against Wolves at Goodison Park (W9 D6).

And in a huge game between two teams at the bottom, do not expect goals on Merseyside. Two of Everton’s last three home top-flight matches have ended goalless, as many as in their previous 54 combined. The last three games at Goodison Park have seen just two goals scored, with both Everton and their opponents converting just 2.4% of their attempts (2/82).

The Toffees have also won just 29.5% of their Premier League games played on Wednesdays (33/112), their lowest win rate on any day of the week in the competition. However, they won their last such game 2-0 against Liverpool in April.

Wolves, meanwhile, have won their last three Premier League away games against Everton – only at Southampton (a current run of four) have they won more consecutively on the road in the competition.

O’Neil’s side have also scored four goals in three of their last 16 away Premier League games, having only done so once in their first 180 away games in the competition. They are also looking to score two or more goals in four consecutive away top-flight matches for the first time since April 1980.

But they face a difficult test to keep that run going. Everton have kept a clean sheet in 44% of their Premier League games under Dyche at Goodison Park (15/34) – the only permanent Toffees manager with a higher ratio in the competition is Joe Royle (46%, 22/48).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Everton – 45.8%

Draw – 25.7%

Wolves – 28.5%

Hours after being confirmed as the successor to veteran Roy Hodgson, who stood down earlier in the day, Glasner was watching from the stand at Goodison Park as Palace claimed a point on Monday night.

McCarthy, who took charge of the side along with fellow assistant Ray Lewington after Hodgson was taken ill last week, feels the team being handed over is in fine shape.

McCarthy said: “He’s seen a team with spirit and commitment to the cause. It’s a good point in the right direction at a difficult place to come.

“I’m sure he will take a lot of positives from the game and I bet he can’t wait to come and work with the lads.”

Glasner, 49, inherits a side 15th in the Premier League and hoping to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle after a poor run of form.

The Austrian led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022 and McCarthy feels he is a strong appointment.

The Irishman said: “He is a manager with great pedigree, a European winner. He is coming into a group that I’m sure he will enjoy working with.

“It is a positive move for the football club and one I’m sure will excite the fans.”

McCarthy revealed he had not yet had the chance to meet Glasner and admitted he did not know if he himself had a future at Selhurst Park.

He said: “It was just announced as we arrived for our pre-match meal. I’ve not had chance to meet him.

“It has been a whirlwind couple of days. I’ve had no communication about myself and my future.”

In terms of the game, a dull encounter was lit up when Jordan Ayew broke the deadlock with a superb long-range strike after 66 minutes.

Everton responded well and their pressure eventually paid off when Amadou Onana headed an equaliser six minutes from time.

McCarthy said: “We created some great situations, Jordan took his goal well. We knew the questions that would be asked coming here.

“I thought we defended resolutely for the majority of the game but unfortunately we couldn’t hang on.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche bemoaned the number of chances the hosts wasted but nevertheless felt the point, which lifted the Toffees out of the bottom three, was a valuable one.

Dyche said: “First half it looked like we were off and they were a side where the new manager was sitting in the stand. They had a bit of edge about them and they played well.

“We weren’t miles off but we weren’t brave enough in possession, were too timid, played backwards too much.

“They scored a good goal, a clean strike, but I thought the mentality then was good to get on the front foot. We certainly did enough to get a point and it was a fine delivery and a fine finish.

“It’s another point on the board and we’ve just popped out of the relegation zone but there were chances – we’ve got to start taking them. There were a couple of golden chances we didn’t take.”

The Senegal international was handed a two-match ban by the Football Association after winning a controversial penalty, under pressure from Scott Dann, in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Niasse’s punishment came six months after the FA voted in favour of introducing new laws in an attempt to clamp down on players diving or feigning injury.

Everton caretaker boss David Unsworth felt a “dangerous precedent” could be set by the sanction.

“I think these people (the FA) will be very busy,” he said. “He (Niasse) was shocked and I was shocked (by the charge).

“It’s a dangerous precedent that could be set if decisions are given against you which are debatable.”

Niasse denied he had “committed an act of simulation” which led to a spot-kick being awarded in the fifth minute of the game in south London.

But he was found guilty by the FA’s Independent Regulatory Commission, which includes former players.

Leighton Baines converted the contentious penalty to cancel out James McArthur’s early opener before Niasse earned Everton a point by equalising following a goal from Eagles forward Wilfried Zaha.

Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “My only satisfaction is that the FA and the people who make those decisions have sided with me rather than the player.”

Using Opta data, we have already examined some of the worst attacking, passing and defensive numbers from 2019-20, so now it's the turn of the goalkeepers.

We have analysed five metrics for keepers to have featured in at least 10 league games this season, giving us a good summary of those most in need of some improvement.

The metrics include goals conceded, save percentage and drops.

It's time to name and shame...

THE WORST GOALKEEPINGING STATS IN EUROPE'S TOP-FIVE LEAGUES 2019-20:

BUNDESLIGA:

Most goals conceded: Jiri Pavlenka(53)
Worst save percentage: Roman Burki (53.62 per cent)
Most drops: Alexander Nubel (6)
Worst passing accuracy: Tomas Koubek(54.89)
Worst keeper sweeper accuracy: Leopold Zingerle (0 per cent)

LALIGA:

Most goals conceded: Diego Lopez(46)
Worst save percentage: Juan Soriano (55 per cent)
Most drops: Simon Unai, Aitor Fernandez, Marko Dmitrovic, Diego Lopez(3)
Worst passing accuracy: David Soria (40.79 per cent)
Worst keeper sweeper accuracy: Simon Unai(33.33 per cent)

LIGUE 1:

The new Chelsea co-owner – and chairman and interim sporting director – was speaking at a conference on Tuesday when he proposed the Premier League 'Americanised' (or should that be 'Americanized'?) itself a bit.

A relegation play-off tournament between the bottom four teams was one idea; but the other, which attracted most of the headlines, was for a North v South 'All-Star' game, pointing out Major League Baseball (MLB) in his native United States made $200million from such an event this year.

A potential Premier League 'All-Stars' game was the talk of football media on Tuesday, so at Stats Perform we decided to have a look at who might line up for the North and South.

It was decided the north-south cut-off point would see Nottingham Forest qualify for the North, ensuring each All-Stars team had 10 clubs to select from.

First up, we have unrestricted squads, so essentially the very best teams possible; then, we have squads that are limited to three players from each club and every single Premier League must have at least a single player selected. So, without any further ado, let's see who made the cut…

NORTH ALL-STARS (unrestricted)

4-3-3: Ederson (Manchester City); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool); Rodri (Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Luis Diaz (Liverpool).

SUBS: Alisson (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Raphael Varane (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Fabinho (Liverpool), Casemiro (Manchester United), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

You knew the starting XI was going to look like that even before reading, didn't you? Manchester City and Liverpool obviously dominated the first team here, but it feels difficult to argue with almost any selection here.

The goalkeeper choice was probably the toughest, but only because Ederson and Alisson are both so strong and simultaneously significantly better than any other eligible shot stoppers in terms of their all-round game – Ederson ultimately got the nod owing to 13 more clean sheets over the past three-and-a-bit years, but either could've got the gig.

Similarly in defence, many of the North's options pick themselves. The centre-backs, Van Dijk and Dias, have each won the Premier League Player of the Season award in the past four years, while Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have at least 12 most assists than any other defender since the start of the 2019-20 season.

While the defence had a distinctively Liverpool look to it, City dominate the midfield because… well, they tend to dominate the midfield. Rodri provides the control and defensive protection, while Foden and De Bruyne can wreak havoc going forward and towards the flanks.

Salah and Haaland were obvious picks in attack. The Egyptian has been involved in 96 goals (66 scored, 30 assisted) since the start of the 2019-20 season, more than anyone else, while Haaland is arguably the most in-form striker in world football, having already netted 12 times in seven games for City.

Luis Diaz was perhaps the most uncertain one, but he's quickly become a key figure at Liverpool. His ability to cut inside or head for the byline makes him an unpredictable asset, and he's something of a double threat in terms of goals and creativity.

Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance on the bench owes much to his solid goal-scoring form last season.

SOUTHERN ALL-STARS (unrestricted)

4-2-3-1:Hugo Lloris (Tottenham); Reece James (Chelsea), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal); Declan Rice (West Ham), N'Golo Kante (Chelsea); Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Son Heung-min (Tottenham); Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal).

SUBS: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Jorginho (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

This team has it all. A World Cup-winning goalkeeper, a defence with an ideal blend of youth and experience, a combative midfield and four world-class attackers.

Lloris gets the nod in net. He's been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league since his arrival from Lyon 10 years ago, and based on Opta's expected goals on target (xGOT) conceded metric, Lloris has prevented 3.8 goals since the start of the 2020-21 season, significantly better than his South All-Stars back-up, Chelsea's Edouard Mendy (-3.8).

Chelsea star James is the right-back, with his 16 goal contributions (six goals, 10 assists) since the start of last season topping the charts for a defender. Koulibaly and Romero are a formidable centre-back pairing, while Zinchenko has four Premier League titles to his name from his time at Manchester City.

James and Zinchenko are brilliant attacking full-backs, but the defence will need screening, and that is where Kante and Rice come into their own. Both super ball-winners, Kante's relentless energy will be complemented by Rice's ability on the ball, as he has demonstrated at West Ham.

That midfield protection will be needed, with a four-pronged attack ready to lay waste to the North's defence.

Sterling might not have made a flying start at Chelsea but is the best pick on the right wing, with Son – who shared the league's golden boot award last season – on the opposite wing. Kane will play a slightly deeper role, behind Jesus, who has had more touches in the opposition box (66), attempted more dribbles (34), more dribbles in the box (8) and won more fouls (21) than any other player in the Premier League this season.

NORTHERN ALL-STARS (restricted)

4-2-3-1: Jordan Pickford (Jordan Pickford); Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Vigil van Dijk (Liverpool), Ruben Dias (Manchester City), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool); Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City); Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Pedro Neto (Wolves); Erling Haaland (Manchester City).

SUBS: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Diego Carlos (Aston Villa), Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United), Renan Lodi (Nottingham Forest), James Maddison (Leicester City), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Jack Harrison (Leeds United), Antony Gordon (Everton), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United).

Our self-imposed restrictions of no more than three players from a given team gives the North All-Stars a distinctly different feel – nevertheless, Van Dijk, Dias, Robertson, De Bruyne, Salah and Haaland retain their places, for obvious reasons.

Probably the biggest casualty is Alexander-Arnold, but the North benefits from having another excellent forward-thinking option at right-back in Trippier, while Jordan Pickford starts between the posts – David de Gea was another option here, but the England international is better with his feet.

Bruno Guimaraes comes into the midfield, offering a valuable combination of bite and craft, while Fernandes will take up the number 10 position with De Bruyne dropping a little deeper – this shouldn't stifle the team's creativity too much given the Belgian is the only player with more chances created (239) than Fernandes (224) since the latter's Premier League debut.

The other new face in attack is Pedro Neto. Perhaps a wildcard choice, but the Portugal international is an exciting winger with lots of pace and trickery. While Salah will cut in off the opposite flank, Neto looks to get crosses into the box, and that could be an effective route to goal knowing the predatory instincts Haaland has.

Again, Ronaldo is held back in reserve.

SOUTHERN ALL-STARS (restricted)

4-3-3: Robert Sanchez (Brighton and Hove Albion); Reece James (Chelsea), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal); James Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Declan Rice (West Ham), Mason Mount (Chelsea); Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Son Heung-min (Tottenham).

SUBS:Neto (Bournemouth), Ben Mee (Brentford), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton and Hove Albion), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford).

Robert Sanchez has been a standout performer for Brighton under the now Chelsea boss Graham Potter, and he replaces Lloris now the restrictions have come into play. He has kept 24 league clean sheets since making his debut in November 2020, which trails only four other goalkeepers.

James, Romero and Zinchenko all keep their places in defence, though Koulibaly does not. He makes way for Joachim Andersen, who has been excellent since signing for Crystal Palace in 2021.

We have switched to a midfield three for this side, with Rice staying in the team but playing a deeper, anchoring role. Alongside him are two new faces in the form of England team-mates Ward-Prowse and Mount. Both provide energy and creativity in abundance.

Ward-Prowse's set-piece quality – no midfielder has scored more goals or created more chances from set plays since the start of last season as the Southampton captain – is a huge threat, while Mount has contributed to 21 league goals since the beginning of 2021-22.

Jesus is the unlucky striker to drop out of the starting XI, though he is on the bench, with Sterling, Kane and Son leading the line.

Some will be looking to consolidate lofty positions, but many will be eyeing a gamble in a late attempt to shuffle up the standings.

It comes down to analysing form, whether recent or over a longer course of time.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform selects four players you might consider for the latest set of matches.
 

Jose Sa (Leicester City v Wolves)

In a midlands battle between hosts in the relegation mire and visitors who are creeping clear of trouble, Wolves may need goalkeeper Jose Sa to be at his sharpest.

Only three teams have recorded more Premier League shutouts than Wolves in 2023 (5), while Sa is the eighth different goalkeeper to have recorded at least 20 clean sheets since the start of last season.

He is targeting a third successive clean sheet this weekend, and since the start of last season, only Alisson (14.2) and Bernd Leno (9.9) have prevented more goals than Sa (6.4), based on Opta's xG model.

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace v Everton)

We've seen an April shower of goals from Crystal Palace this month, and now lowly Everton are the visitors to Selhurst Park.

Since the start of April, only Manchester City (11) have scored more goals in the Premier League than Palace (9), with Eberechi Eze netting three of those.

With seven goals and three assists this season, he has already equalled his best tally for goal involvements in the Premier League season (also 10 in 2020-21), and under Roy Hodgson's leadership he is clearly thriving again.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool v Nottingham Forest)

Setting penalties to one side, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been showing some serious form of late, hitting a double last time out at Leeds United.

Only Ollie Watkins (14) and Erling Haaland (13) have been involved in more Premier League goals in 2023 than the Liverpool forward, with Salah totting up 11 involvements (8 goals, 3 assists), nine of which have come since the beginning of March.

In his last 10 Premier League games against teams that have come up from the Championship, as Forest did at the start of this campaign, Salah has been involved in nine goals (6 goals, 3 assists).

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth v West Ham)

When Dominic Solanke gets hot, the opposition soon know about it.

He has become just the fifth different player for Bournemouth to record at least five goals and five assists in a Premier League season, achieving that by scoring once and providing two assists last time out against Tottenham.

The 25-year-old former Liverpool player had a stunning 2021-22 campaign in the Championship with the Cherries, and while he has not consistently hit the same heights in the top flight, the Tottenham game was the third of the Premier League season in which he has both scored and assisted. Nobody in the league has done so on more occasions, heading into this weekend's round of games.

On Saturday, both Manchester City and Arsenal fell to surprise defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle United respectively. 

It was only the third time since the start of 2017-18 that both of the previous season's top two teams had lost on the same day in the Premier League, after March 7, 2021 and January 14, 2023.

Pep Guardiola's champions could have few complaints about the result at the Vitality Stadium, where Andoni Iraola's Cherries won the expected goals (xG) battle by 2.04 to 1.56.

But which other games featured a lucky winner or an unlucky loser? We delve into the Opta data to find out.

Unlucky losers: Arsenal

The weekend's action began with Arsenal travelling to St James' Park to face Newcastle, with Mikel Arteta's side chasing a victory to move within a point of leaders Liverpool.

However, they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat as Alexander Isak's early goal proved enough for Newcastle to make it three wins in their last four home league games against Arsenal (one loss).

The Gunners could count themselves unlucky to come away from Tyneside with nothing, however, after limiting Newcastle to a measly 0.53 xG – 0.25 of which came from the chance for Isak's goal.

Only West Ham, who played half of their defeat to Nottingham Forest with 10 men, created a lower figure across the nine games to take place this weekend, with 0.13 xG.

Arsenal were far from their free-flowing best, though, only recording 10 attempts worth 1.05 xG themselves. They have averaged just 7.4 shots per game in their away Premier League matches this season, with only Brentford (7.5) taking fewer.

Lucky winners: Southampton 

Just two teams – Wolves and Ipswich Town – remain without a victory in the Premier League after Southampton finally got off the mark by beating Everton 1-0 at St Mary's.

Russell Martin's team accumulated just 0.74 xG to Everton's 1.56, but Adam Armstrong's strike five minutes from time handed them a huge three points in their fight for safety.

While Beto, who headed against the crossbar just 25 seconds before Armstrong's winner, and Jack Harrison spurned great chances for the Toffees, Southampton were also grateful for a late VAR intervention, as the former saw a potential leveller chalked off for a marginal offside call.

It was the first time Everton had failed to score against Southampton in the Premier League since February 2022, bringing their five-match unbeaten run in the competition to a halt.

Unlucky losers: Crystal Palace

Southampton ended the weekend in 19th, above winless Wolves after they were pegged back in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Molineux.

Marc Guehi salvaged a draw for the Eagles, who were without star men Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze yet arguably still did enough to leave the West Midlands with all three points.

They racked up 19 shots totalling 2.51 xG to their hosts' 11, which had a total value of 1.51 xG. Palace's xG figure was the highest in the Premier League this weekend, but they were missing their shooting boots as Ismaila Sarr squandered two glorious chances when they were a goal to the good in the second half. 

With both defences struggling, this was only the second Premier League game of the season to be goalless at half-time but see both sides score at least twice in the second half, after Everton 2-3 Bournemouth in August.

There could have been a fifth goal in stoppage time, too, as Jean-Phillipe Mateta saw a potential winner disallowed for a foul on Jose Sa in the build-up. Wolves – and their under-fire head coach Gary O'Neil – arguably got away with one.

Lucky winners: Chelsea 

Sunday's late game saw Chelsea fight back to draw 1-1 with Manchester United at Old Trafford, denying Ruud van Nistelrooy a first Premier League win as the Red Devils' interim head coach.

Moises Caicedo's well-taken volley cancelled out Bruno Fernandes' penalty and Chelsea arguably looked the more likely victors in the second half, but they only generated 1.1 xG from their 12 attempts – and just 0.29 from six after the interval.

United, meanwhile, had chances worth 1.98 xG, though Fernandes' spot-kick – with an xG value of 0.79 – was a major contributing factor.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho squandered decent opportunities for United, though, and incoming boss Ruben Amorim has plenty of work to do with their attackers.

United have scored just nine goals in 10 Premier League games this season – their worst record through 10 matches of any league campaign since 1973-74 (also nine).

Fans of a certain vintage will need no reminder of what happened at the end of that season – United were relegated from the First Division, their fate sealed by club legend Denis Law scoring against them with a nonchalant backheel, while representing rivals Man City.