Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Research conducted by this very website found that 59% of football clubs in England's top four divisions experienced an improvement in league position after moving to a new stadium.
Everton fans will be hoping that they're not in the 41%, but the early evidence at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium home suggests that another bottom-half finish appears likely.
So can the Toffees kick on once they've settled into their new home?
With financial difficulties and previous finishes of 13th, 15th, 17th and 16th, it goes without saying that Everton aren't going to feature prominently in the Premiership odds for the league champion market. Although, they'll be delighted to see Arsenal in as 2/5 favourites ahead of their rivals, Liverpool.
But the boys in blue would have had aspirations of a top-half finish in their new home, with today's football odds making the Toffees a 13/8 chance to accomplish that - an implied probability of just 38%.
Based on what we've seen so far in 2025/26, you would suggest that such pessimistic expectations are fair enough, though there is definitely scope for improvement for Everton (more on that shortly).
The league table doesn't lie though, as the old saying goes, with stodgy home form at their new premises - the Toffees rank 14th in the Premier League home table - much to blame.
Full-time: Everton 2 - 0 Brighton#EFC #EVEBHA https://t.co/mYi3rlzmft
— Everton FC News (@LivEchoEFC) August 24, 2025
The curtain was raised on the Hill Dickinson Stadium with an impressive 2-0 victory over Brighton, while a 2-1 win over a strong Crystal Palace side was also eye catching.
But a failure to beat the beleaguered West Ham in front of their own fans, allied to a wretched 0-3 loss at the hands of Tottenham, has set the Toffees back in their quest to become accustomed to life at a new venue.
The new stadium effect is yet to take hold for Everton, but there are still reasons for optimism...
At the time of writing, David Moyes' men rank eighth in the Premier League for non-penalty xG created.
This is a metric that measures a team's ability to create high quality scoring chances from open play, which, over the course of a 38-game season, can be viewed as a handy marker for success.
The challenge facing Moyes is that while his side are creating chances, they are struggling to put them away. His main striker, Beto, has scored just once from 3.9 xG, which suggests that the Guinea international is struggling in front of goal.
With a shortage of options in his thin squad, Moyes has little choice but to carry on with Beto as his main frontman, he'll be hoping that permission is granted to spend in January.
There's work to be done defensively, too. Everton has the eighth-worst record in the EPL in regard to non-penalty xG prevented, which suggests that they are simply too easy to play through - a surprise, given Moyes' track record as an excellent organiser of defensive shape.
The Reds were made to sweat again, but didn't need a late winner this time as they maintain their perfect start.
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) September 20, 2025
Liverpool have won five consecutive home games against Everton in all competitions for the first time since 1937.#LIVEVE pic.twitter.com/qHnMCXh8SR
The Toffees kept just two clean sheets in their opening nine games of the Premier League season, shipping two or more against Wolves, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham.
Conceding goals and struggling to take your own chances is not a recipe for footballing success. But there is scope for improvement: first job? Improving that home form at their shiny new HQ.
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