Everton sit seventh after five league games, with nine points and only three goals conceded. Three of those matches have ended in clean sheets, and the run has already included late rescue acts from James Tarkowski and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. David Moyes can reasonably be pleased with that kind of start, even if the attack has only produced six league goals.
Tarkowski's role at both ends
Tarkowski has played every league match, and he has had a hand in both penalty-box jobs Everton needed most. He scored a stoppage-time equaliser against Bournemouth and added an assist as the team kept moving without much attacking fluency.
The centre-back is also part of why the numbers feel stable. Everton have outperformed their opponents on xG in three of their five league games this season, and their season xG is 7.32 goals. That does not make them a free-scoring side, but it does suggest the chances are there for the attack to improve if the finishing catches up.
What the opening run says about Everton
The more encouraging piece for Everton is where the points have come from. They are unbeaten at home after four matches at Hill Dickinson Stadium this season, which has given the start some proper substance rather than a narrow run of favourable results.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles' stoppage-time leveller against Manchester United fits that pattern too. Everton have already shown they can stay in games late, and they have done it while keeping opponents to three league goals and three clean sheets in five.
Joe Thomas called it, "It has been a good start to the season." That feels about right. The attack still has work to do, but Everton's base is solid, and a side sitting seventh after five games with no defeat will take that every time.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
