Everton Pressuring To Secure European Football As Moyes Boosts Top-six Push

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Everton strengthened hopes of returning to European football with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Burnley at Hill Dickinson Stadium, moving within two points of the top six as James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored, while Burnley’s defeat deepened relegation worries near the bottom of the table.

The result left Burnley 19th in the Premier League, eight points from safety with nine matches left in the season, and Wolves’ win over Liverpool meant the Clarets sat only three points above bottom place, after failing to register a shot on target until the 79th minute.

Everton’s latest push comes after the club last played in Europe during the 2017-18 campaign, while David Moyes previously guided Everton into four European seasons between 2002 and 2013, and also claimed the 2023 Conference League title with West Ham, which remains the only major trophy of Moyes’ managerial career.

Moyes reflected on that experience in continental competition and sees a parallel with Everton’s current rise from recent struggles, aware that European qualification would mark a major step for the squad and fanbase, though Moyes continued to temper expectations in public comments despite the improving league position.

Moyes told TNT Sports: "It would be amazing if we could even get close, which we are. I just look back at my time at West Ham. We were almost relegated, and then we went on to get into Europe, and did it three years in a row after that. The idea is we want to keep pushing. I try not to talk about it if I can help it, but I want to be positive to think we can do it."

Moyes also outlined the target he set for the players at the beginning of the season, stressing belief while stopping short of firm predictions about European qualification, and pointed out that Everton are now discussed as a progressing club instead of one threatened by relegation and sliding down the Premier League table.

Moyes told BBC Sport:"I want to be positive, and I want to believe and I want the players to believe. I have said to them right at the start, that should be what we aim for if we can try and do it. It's getting closer. I'm not saying we can do it and I'm not saying we cannot. We're not being talked about as a club that's in relegation and falling away. We actually think we're a club that's making progress and we can start tickling the top teams and putting them under a bit of pressure."

Ending a poor sequence at Hill Dickinson Stadium was another major theme for Everton, who halted a run of six Premier League home matches without a win, while the performance with the ball pleased Moyes as the team controlled possession, circulated passes with patience and reacted quickly when losing it.

Moyes added praise for the supporters inside Hill Dickinson Stadium, noting that away fans had enjoyed more success this season, but felt the home crowd recognised Everton’s intensity against Burnley, stayed behind the team and showed appreciation for the players’ effort when several were substituted late in the match.

Moyes added: "It's a really important win. I keep saying our away supporters have been treated great! We've not been doing so well for the home support, but they were with us, they recognised how well we were doing and applauded the players who came off with the work they had put in. We played really well with the ball. We kept it well, moved it well and recovered it well when we had to."

Everton Burnley Premier League European football pressure on Clarets

On the opposite side, Burnley’s lack of threat across most of the contest left Scott Parker frustrated, with Everton’s control preventing any rhythm for the visitors, whose late effort on target could not change the picture in a match that underlined why Burnley remain locked in a difficult fight for Premier League survival.

Parker accepted that Burnley were second best in key areas at Hill Dickinson Stadium, pointing to Everton’s quality and intensity as major factors, but also admitting that Burnley did not create enough with the ball, rarely pressed effectively and failed to disrupt Everton’s tempo during either half of the Premier League game.

Parker said: "We fell short in many aspects, partly down to the quality Everton showed and the quality they had. That was clear for us to see. We were never in the game from start to finish. A lot of things are going through my mind at this moment in time, we just looked second-best to a lot of things and lacked real quality with the ball. We never laid a glove on them in the first half and fell short."

The win leaves Everton looking upward towards European positions after ending a damaging home sequence, while Moyes draws confidence from previous European runs with West Ham, whereas Burnley face the final nine fixtures under heavy pressure, sitting 19th, eight points from safety and now only three points above the bottom club.