Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall embracing Everton protagonism before Stamford Bridge visit | OneFootball

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has become indispensable for Everton and has been integral to the side’s strong run of form recently. He has scored three goals in his last four games as the Toffees have picked up four wins in their last five matches to climb to seventh in the league standings.

As Everton prepare for their trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea this weekend, Dewsbury-Hall is expected to be in the spotlight.

“It’s definitely a huge game for me and I’ve got a point to prove. I’m so excited by it,” said the 27-year-old.

“It would be nice to go there and win. I have to say that the Chelsea people have been lovely to me ever since I left. I’ve got a lot of respect for them, but obviously now I’m playing for Everton so my main focus is going there, playing as well as I can and getting three points.

“I’m probably feeling the best I’ve ever felte and the way I’m playing is up there with the best I’ve played.

“I’ll be honest, I’m confident going against anyone in the Premier League at the moment and it’s a nice place to be.”

Signed for £25m from the London-based outfit, Dewsbury-Hall is proving to be a major bargain for the club and has been one of the signings of the season.

The 27-year-old was a peripheral figure for Enzo Maresca’s side after joining them from boyhood club Leicester City in the summer of 2024. He started only twice in the Premier League last season and only saw regular minutes in the Conference League.

At Everton, however, he’s one of the first names on the team sheet at the moment. Dewsbury-Hall has started 14 of the Toffees’ 15 league matches so far this season, missing the game against Crystal Palace due to suspension.

He has scored four goals and is the joint-highest scorer for the club along with Iliman Ndiaye. His four-goal tally in just 14 starts this season is more than he’d scored in his 72 top-flight games overall for Leicester City and Chelsea.

Dewsbury-Hall has also registered two assists and has the most goal contributions, along with Jack Grealish (6 each), for the club. He's also nominated for the Premier League player of the month in November.

His 25 completed passes into the penalty area place him joint fifth in the Premier League, as per FB Ref, while his 0.80 goals per shot on target is the ninth-best in the league. His expected assisted goals, which record the expected goals from shots following an individual player's passes, is 2.8, which is the sixth-best in the Premier League.

Dewsbury-Hall is also overperforming his xG (expected goals) by 2.4 goals - the fourth-best figure in the league.

For Everton, only James Garner (80) has recorded more progressive passes than Dewsbury-Hall (72), while he leads the way for the club in dead-ball passes leading to a shot (nine) and completed through-balls (seven).

He’s also proven to be quite versatile and has played as a six, an eight and a number 10 for David Moyes. In recent games against Manchester United, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, the 27-year-old excelled in a deeper midfield role following Idrissa Gana Gueye’s suspension.

In the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Dewsbury-Hall crafted the opening goal and scored the third. He also recorded four tackles, five clearances and won 10 of his 16 duels in the game, showing that there’s more to his game than just crashing the box or providing the final pass.

He’s brought technical finesse, assurance and an almost endless reserve of stamina and intensity in the middle of the pitch. Along with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye, he has been the beating heart of Everton’s offensive prowess this season.

While he may not be as flashy as the former two, it’s hard to imagine Everton having a similarly successful start this season without Dewsbury-Hall driving forward and building moves.

Everton haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since November 1994. Dewsbury-Hall, born four years later, is no stranger to ending curses. It was his goal that sealed Everton’s first win at Old Trafford since 2013 and only their second in the last 32 years. Can he do the same on Saturday?

Reader Comments (17)

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Tony Abrahams 3 Posted 11/12/2025 at 17:47:42

It means being the central figure or the key player according to what I've just read, after asking Siri, for its meaning.

So hopefully Dewsbury-Hall is ahead of the game as Anjishnu is with this headline!

Paul Griffiths 5 Posted 11/12/2025 at 19:40:21

Protagonism is most definitely a word.

The gist is, Dewsbury-Hall is very happy to be our central character.

Laurie Hartley 9 Posted 11/12/2025 at 20:52:15

We have a terrific footballer on our hands in Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Whoever is responsible for signing him for £25M is a good negotiator.

Paul Hewitt 10 Posted 11/12/2025 at 21:33:03

Laurie @9.

Probably the same one that paid £27M for Barry and £40M for Dibling.

Tom Bowers 11 Posted 11/12/2025 at 23:52:08

Thirty years since winning at the Bridge? Wow, wouldn't it be nice to change that this weekend?

It was nice to see Barry breaking his duck and even nicer if it was a springboard to building his confidence for future games. He still looks a little amateurish by Premier League standards but let's hope that criticism can be dispelled very soon.

Chelsea are a very talented team but football is a game that any team can win on the day.

Mike Gaynes 12 Posted 12/12/2025 at 01:50:09

Love "protagonism"... well in Anjishnu! (Ignore anyantagonism about it.)

And I love watching Dewsbury-Hall operating from a deeper-lying position, with the game spread out in front of him, making passes and seeing openings for scoring opportunities.

I harshly criticized him some weeks back for losing the ball too often in vulnerable positions, but in retrospect almost all of those turnovers were committed after receiving the ball with a defender on his back. That's not his thing. He's at his best delivering those passes.

Anjishnu,

I thought this was a perfectly good article, mate, but one word of advice. Interact.

If people give you some stick and it's legit hold your hands up and say “fair kop governor.” If as in this case they're talking rubbish then come on and defend your corner.

I remember Michael getting irritated with one poster, Patrick Connor?? Who'd start great threads then we people replied he disappeared into the ether never to be heard from again.

If you just drop an article and go AWOL, that's why people say AI. If you interact back and forth a little bit, you build a fan base and credibility as a writer. Ditto Harry Diamond and the rest.

Contrary to criticism by some, there have been some decent articles on here by the newbies lately but you need to be a bit more visible to win over the patrons.

Dave Abrahams 16 Posted 12/12/2025 at 09:41:41

Kieran (13) I think Patrick Connor is still posting but under another name, I spoke to him about three years ago, he was Patrick Murphy then or I thought he was but he told me that was just one of the names he has used over the years.

Who is he now? God knows but it’s not me, come on Patrick get out of those shadows and show your bleedin’ self!

Mark Murphy 17 Posted 12/12/2025 at 11:22:07

Anjishnu -- sorry for calling you AI -- it's not your fault I was "educated" in a secondary modern. It's them long words like protagonism, peripheral and finesse that get me...

Dewsbury-Hall is currently representing very good value for money and you're right, he's the protagonist in the side at present.

Long may it continue, but I'm holding a candle for Charly Alcaraz. I hope he comes good for us too as I think he can be our new Tim Cahill, as if there could ever be another.All the best.

Dale Self 21 Posted 12/12/2025 at 13:44:57

Good move, Kieran!

Sean, easy on the sherry bashing. You have to switch it up occasionally and that goes about 18%. The stuff works.