Moyes revels in 'dream start' to life back at Everton after Palace win

Moyes watched on as goals in either half from Beto and Carlos Alcaraz earned Everton the points, despite being pegged back by Jean-Philippe Mateta's strike just after the break.

It capped off a memorable week for the Scot, who oversaw a last-gasp draw against rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Since Moyes' first match in charge since returning to the club, Everton have picked up 13 points (W4 D1 L1), more than any other team in the division during that time.

The result moved Everton up to 13th in the table ahead of Sunday's clash between Tottenham and Manchester United, and also 13 points clear of the bottom three.

"The players have reacted well. It has been a dream start coming in and winning so many games. Starting to look more healthy in the Premier League," Moyes told Sky Sports.

"I hope it will be the case. Ultimately, I think we still have to get enough points. It has been a brilliant start, it was a good win for us today, really scrappy.

"They showed great resilience and won at a difficult place against a team who have been improving.

"To come back to Everton was something I hoped would happen, and I didn't expect it to happen. It is great to be accepted again, and the fans have been brilliant," he added.

"Even today, we had brilliant support with us because I think they are starting to believe a bit more in us and the team.

"Everton has had a difficult period and I certainly think there is light at the end of the tunnel now with the new owners coming in."

First start.First assist.First goal.Charly Alcaraz. pic.twitter.com/ceYkTdotvg

— Everton (@Everton) February 15, 2025

Meanwhile, Palace manager Oliver Glasner said his team must consider the defeat a learning experience, after ending the contest on top in many of the metrics.

Indeed, Palace had an expected goals (xG) total of 1.66 to Everton's 0.76, while also hitting the woodwork through Ismaila Sarr barely a minute before Beto opened the scoring.

"It is frustrating and similar to the defeat against Brentford," Glasner told Sky Sports.

"The game was exactly how we expected it and then, of course, when we concede such goals, it is hard.

Palace have now won just one of their last 21 Premier League games against Everton (D9 L11), last beating the Toffees 3-1 at Selhurst Park in December 2021.

"The players tried everything and we had a big effort. It is not so easy to score against them. We had some opportunities, but we didn't have the efficiency," Glasner said.

"It is not a game we should lose. We had opportunities to win it. It was not what we wanted, but we have to accept it, and we have to learn from these games."

On a positive note, Mateta's leveller two minutes after the restart continued his fine form, notching his seventh goal in his last six appearances in the Premier League.