The highs and lows of Everton's first season at Hill Dickinson Stadium | OneFootball

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

When I planned this article, I was hoping Everton would have at least picked up one more point (and being optimistic, three!) to round out the first season at Hill Dickinson Stadium on a high note. Instead, it will round out in a whimper.

David Moyes, the players and the club’s leadership — TFG, Angus Kinnear and the recruitment committee — are all to blame. But this piece is not about them.

I have decided to go ahead with this article, perhaps as some sort of therapy, as I think it’s worth looking back on the season that was at Everton’s new home. So, here’s the highs and lows.

THE LOWS

Let’s get these out of the way first, ey. And it does feel like there’s plenty of them. Everton have finished with just 23 points at home. According to Opta’s Aaron Barton, they only picked up fewer in 2022-23 (21) and 2020-21 (22), when accounting for three points for a win.

Everton won a game more than they did in their last season at Goodison Park, but it’s a low bar — they only managed five home victories in the league last term.

The first defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium, a 3-0 loss to Tottenham, unfortunately set the tone for a miserable winter down on the Mersey. Spurs did nothing special, but exposed Everton’s set-piece fragility.

Then there was that 4-1 humbling at the hands of Newcastle United, and then the 4-2 defeat to Brentford. The way the Wolves game ended, with Michael Keane and Jack Grealish getting sent off, was almost comically bad. That preceded the penalty shootout defeat to Sunderland in the FA Cup, in which Everton’s players missed all their spot-kicks. Well done, lads — good process!

Speaking of good processes, one game could feature in both sections of this piece: The 3-3 draw with Manchester City.

Everton raced into a 3-1 lead after a whirlwind 13-minute spell in the second half, only to capitulate, fitting in with the theme of the run-in. However, that disgraceful decision not to award a penalty for Bernardo Silva blatantly holding Merlin Röhl at a corner, when Everton were leading 3-2, cannot be ignored, either.

Sunday’s loss to Sunderland was the final nail in the coffin to Everton’s sorry end to the campaign, but possibly the most heartbreaking moment of all came in the first Merseyside derby at Hill Dickinson Stadium. I know, we’re used to it by now, but it doesn't make it any easier, does it?

All in all, room for improvement!

THE HIGHS

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. There have been some great moments in the new home too, and positives to carry into next season.

The very first competitive match at our stunning new home had to be won, and thankfully, Everton delivered — Jack Grealish was brilliant, Iliman Ndiaye didn’t look like he was running through sand, and the sun was out on the bank holiday weekend. Glorious!

Then there was the first “Goodison” moment at Hill Dickinson, when Grealish blocked a clearance to divert home, score his first Everton goal and snatch a last-gasp 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. The first time the stadium exploded with passion and euphoria after a late winner.

We haven’t had enough of those, of course. Heck, there hasn’t even been any late equalisers to celebrate, although the last 15 minutes or so of the Leeds United game in January, when Everton were on top, should have resulted in a turnaround victory after Thierno Barry scored and Idrissa Gueye hit the crossbar.

The win against Fulham was comprehensive, while the victory over Nottingham Forest in early December was also controlled. We got to see Barry break his duck, and his performances had merited it, too, while any fears of Sean Dyche coming back to haunt Everton were cast aside, too.

But it was not until the start of March that Everton won another home game.

The victory over Burnley at least took the pressure off somewhat, and paved the way for Everton’s most complete performance of the season — home or away — as they hammered Chelsea 3-0 in March.

When Ndiaye curled in that spectacular third, it really did feel as though this season would end up in European qualification, and the only question was which competition Everton would get into.

Instead, it looks as though that win might be the last of the campaign, and Everton must set out to be much-improved at home next season.