Having made a mockery of those who suggested Everton had somehow opened the door to relegation at the time of his arrival, David Moyes will be looking to achieve something that has eluded those in his position for a generation. Ipswich Town’s 4-0 defeat to Arsenal on Easter Sunday ensured any lingering doubts that the historic final season at Goodison Park would not be sullied by the potential catastrophe of Everton having to say goodbye to the Grand Old Lady while fighting for their lives.
After being based in Walton since 1892, the Blues will be kicking off a record 123rd campaign in the elite when they make the two-mile journey to Bramley-Moore Dock waterfront this summer. Indeed, as this correspondent’s colleague Joe Thomas pointed out earlier this week, Everton have also had the last laugh on all those terrible amateur comedians who brought the first recorded instances of tumbleweed by the Mersey waterfront with their side-splitting quips that the Blues’ future home would be “the best ground in the Championship.”
Given that Everton were just a point above the drop zone at the halfway stage this term with fewer than 50% of the points they accumulated in 2022/23 – the lowest ever equivalent total when they escaped a first relegation in 72 years by a single goal on the last day – the wags from rivals who trotted out their stock ‘gag’ might have actually thought there was some mileage in their stale material.
Instead though, the 62-year-old has risen standards, confidence and the corners of Evertonian mouths to inspire a remarkable revival. Overall results have gone better than some of those within the camp expected but improvements are still needed to get to the levels everyone is hoping for with lots of hard work still to come reshaping the squad this summer.
Although they were safe before all the chocolate eggs were eaten, Moyes won’t accept any slacking in the shape of a repeat of 2003/04, when his Blues side got themselves safe by Easter, only to suffer a late collapse in the run-in, but at least they are now heading to their unhappiest of hunting grounds with the pressure off.
Everton’s last visit to Stamford Bridge proved to be their nadir under Sean Dyche as they were hit for six in front of the live Sky Sports cameras just over a year ago, but this time they go to west London having already completed their survival mission.
For their Glaswegian gaffer, the game represents an opportunity to get a personal monkey off his back, but while much was made of Moyes’ inability to pick up three points away to Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United during his 11-year spell at Goodison Park first time around, he is far from alone among Blues bosses for this being a bogey ground. Before him, Howard Kendall in his third spell and Walter Smith both failed to triumph here and the same goes for Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and the aforementioned Dyche before Moyes returned.
Never mind going to Arsenal or Liverpool – with or without fans – Chelsea away is the Premier League fixture where Everton have waited the longest to taste victory. We have to go back a generation, over 30 years and before their last major trophy, to November 26, 1994, for their last away win there, courtesy of Paul Rideout’s 39th-minute header past Dmitri Kharine in what was Joe Royle’s first away game in charge.
The world was obviously very different back then with Baby D’s Let Me Be Your Fantasy number one in the UK charts (it would eventually be knocked off top spot some three weeks later by East 17’s Christmas smash Stay Another Day); John Major was Prime Minister; Charles and Diana were still married. The first National Lottery draw had taken place the weekend before the Blues’ triumph at Stamford Bridge while that month the Daily Telegraph became the first national newspaper in Britain to launch an online edition although only 600,000 people – little more than 1% of the population – had access to the internet in their homes at this point.
In football terms, Chelsea’s neighbours Fulham were languishing in the Football League’s basement division, finishing three places below Preston North End, who had a certain centre-back called Moyes among their ranks, while other current Premier League clubs Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion were all in the third tier. Seven of the Everton side that started the 2-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend – Jake O’Brien; Vitalii Mykolenko; Jarrad Branthwaite; James Garner, Jack Harrison; Iliman Ndiaye and Armando Broja – had not yet been born.
Just who has picked up three points in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge since? Well, Manchester City and Fulham this term for starters. Although Chelsea went over four seasons unbeaten at home between 2004-2008 under Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant, and then again the 2014/15 season during the Portuguese manager’s second stint in charge, the club has still suffered some 78 home defeats in the competition since Everton’s last three points.
From 1994/95 onwards, Arsenal have won away against Chelsea nine times in the Premier League; Liverpool eight times; Manchester City seven times; Manchester United and Aston Villa six times apiece; Southampton and West Ham United five times each; Blackburn Rovers four; Sunderland and Bournemouth – the latter in just eight visits – on three occasions and Leicester City twice. On the flip side, Sheffield United have also only won once in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge – in October 1992 in the competition’s first season, a result that predates Everton – but the only current Premier League club to have never triumphed at the ground are Ipswich Town, who have made half a dozen visits.
Goodbye Goodison Park - Souvenir edition
Everton are soon set to say goodbye to Goodison Park as the Toffees play out their final few matches in their iconic home before moving to their incredible new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
And to celebrate this historic and poignant event, the ECHO has produced this stunning special souvenir edition that no fan can afford to be without as they bid farewell to their iconic and beloved home.
We have delved into the ECHO archives to unearth fascinating stories from the famous ground's past, including how it came to be built in 1892 and where its world-famous name came from.
Relive some of the most epic games to have graced the Grand Old Lady, including first-hand accounts of those involved in perhaps Goodison's greatest night - the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final win over Bayern Munich in the unforgettable year of 1985.
And then there are the legends - from Dean to Hickson, Sharp to Ferguson, Kendall to Moyes, we celebrate the Goodison icons who will live forever in the hearts and minds of Evertonians everywhere long after the ground is gone.
There are also some rare treats with a glorious collection of photographs from the archives, featuring stunning Goodison views and behind-the-scenes footage of what makes the Grand Old Lady truly tick.
Buy now and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents on Merseyside from April 2, 2025.
While Chelsea have finished above Everton in all but one of the subsequent seasons (in 1995/96, when the Blues came sixth and Chelsea were 11th), as two ever-presents in the Premier League, Everton’s lack of victories in the head-to-head seems to represent something of a mental block, especially when you look at the size and resources of some of the other clubs to have subsequently picked up three points at Stamford Bridge. In terms of total games, it is the joint longest winless run by one Premier League club away to another, equalling Newcastle United’s record against Liverpool (29 matches) since the Magpies last collected three points at Anfield on April 16, 1994.
Everton’s winless record at Chelsea does include no fewer than 13 draws and it was after the scores also finished level at 1-1 in an FA Cup fourth round replay in 2011 that Moyes enjoyed the Blues’ only success of any sort there, by beating the hosts in a penalty shoot-out.
With his current side now able to go out and enjoy a degree of freedom, the time could be ripe to finally end the drought.
