Everton Aims High As David Moyes Targets European Competition Following Recent Draw

David Moyes is aiming for European competition with Everton in future seasons. His team is now focusing on moving up the table. The Toffees, despite being short-handed, extended their unbeaten run to seven Premier League games with a 1-1 draw against Brentford on Wednesday. Jake O'Brien's diving header, his first goal for Everton, equalised after Yoane Wissa's opener at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Everton dropped to 15th place due to Manchester United's victory over Ipswich Town. However, they are now 15 points clear of relegation. This marks their longest unbeaten league streak since December 2017, also seven matches. Moyes returned to Goodison Park in January when the club was struggling but has since guided them away from danger, securing 15 points from his first eight games back.

Moyes expressed his desire not just to save Everton from relegation but to compete for European spots. "I don't really want to be someone who comes in to save the club from relegation," he told TNT Sports. "I want to be a manager who competes for Europe, like I have been for three years prior to this [at West Ham]. But let's be honest, Everton were in a terrible position."

The match against Brentford saw Everton disappointed with only a draw. Moyes believed they deserved more from their previous game against Manchester United, which ended 2-2. He was particularly frustrated at half-time with how they conceded and felt the game was slow initially but suited them.

Beto missed three crucial chances when one-on-one with Brentford's goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Two of these opportunities came before Wissa scored in first-half stoppage time after Everton failed to handle a long throw into their box. Beto's missed chances had a combined expected goals value of 0.62, highlighting Flekken's impressive saves.

"He has been fantastic in many, many ways this season," said Brentford manager Thomas Frank about Flekken's performance. "They were three big saves." Frank felt the result was fair as Brentford controlled Everton well but lacked the final touch to extend their lead.

Brentford's Struggles at Home

Brentford remains in 11th place and is four points away from breaking into the top 10. They have not won any of their last six home league matches. Despite playing well against Everton, they couldn't find that extra edge needed for victory.

The match highlighted both teams' strengths and weaknesses as they continue their Premier League campaigns. While Everton looks upwards with renewed ambition under Moyes' leadership, Brentford seeks improvement at home to climb higher in the standings.