Everton Aim for Statement Win Against Tottenham with Moyes Return
Everton head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday chasing more than just three points. An unbeaten start, built on two wins and two draws, has given David Moyes’s side a platform. Now comes the real examination: a hostile ground, a bad recent record and a Tottenham team that usually sends them home empty-handed.
Everton sit eighth with five points, but that number barely tells the story of their momentum. Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s stunning 25-yard strike in stoppage time against Manchester United last weekend did. That goal didn’t just salvage a draw; it hardened the feeling that this team refuses to fold.
The problem? They still haven’t solved the riddle of the road.
Everton are winless in their last six league away games and have lost five straight Premier League matches away to Tottenham. The stadium, the tempo, the history – it has all gone against them. Moyes walks back into north London knowing this is where early-season optimism so often gets punctured.
Team selection: Moyes keeps faith with new sparks
Injuries and form have nudged Moyes toward a slightly different Everton, one with fresh legs and sharper edges.
James Garner, still not considered fully fit after the injury that opened the door for Maitland-Niles to impress off the bench, is unlikely to start. That keeps the path clear for Hayden Hackney, whose clever pass set up Tyrique George’s equaliser against United. Hackney is expected to line up alongside Harrison Armstrong in the engine room, a pairing that offers bite and progression on the ball.
Maitland-Niles, the late hero last weekend, is set to continue at right-back. He has pushed ahead of auxiliary defender Merlin Rohl in that role, giving Everton more thrust down the flank and another passing outlet from deep.
Further forward, the focus shifts to a familiar face. Jack Grealish, back in Everton colours and fresh from his second debut for the club, is in line to reclaim Brennan Johnson’s place in the starting XI. Grealish’s ability to draw fouls, slow the game when needed and unlock tight defences gives Moyes a different dimension in the final third.
Christian Norgaard remains sidelined until October, leaving him as Moyes’s only other fitness concern. It means the core of this side is settled, the tweaks are deliberate, and the responsibility is clear.
Predicted XI: balance with a cutting edge
Moyes is expected to stick with a 4-2-3-1 that has brought control and late drama in equal measure:
Everton possible starting XI (4-2-3-1):
Pickford; Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Armstrong, Hackney; George, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry
Jordan Pickford anchors a back four that has grown in understanding, with James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite again forming the central partnership. Vitaliy Mykolenko offers the balance on the left, while Maitland-Niles’s presence on the right adds energy and recovery pace.
Ahead of them, Armstrong and Hackney will be asked to screen, press and spring counters. George and Kieran Dewsbury-Hall bring movement and creativity behind the striker, with Grealish drifting in from the left to knit everything together. Young forward Tom Barry leads the line, tasked with stretching Tottenham’s defence and finishing the chances this reshaped attack is starting to create.
Kick-off and TV details
The Premier League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium kicks off at 17:30 on Saturday, 12 September 2026.
In the UK, the match will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event.
Everton arrive unbeaten, but burdened by history in this fixture. Tottenham’s ground has not been kind to them. If Moyes’s side want this season to be about more than late rescues and plucky home performances, this is exactly the type of away day they have to rewrite.
