Everton are out of the FA Cup already, and David Moyes’ disappointment on Saturday afternoon was palpable.
Everton were back at the Hill Dickinson Stadium again, after losing to Brentford last weekend and the draw with Wolves in midweek.
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Surely there's only one to take the crown here…
Sunderland were the opponents this time, and fans were hopeful of a response.
Although the Premier League is the priority, there was a strong desire to see the Toffees attack the FA Cup, knowing it has been many years since the club won silverware.
But Everton crashed out of the cup, losing the tie on penalties after the game had finished 1-1.
It was the first time ever Everton have failed to score in a penalty shootout.
And after the game, Moyes was particularly frustrated by one thing his players did.
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David Moyes annoyed Everton let Sunderland dominate
Supporters are growing concerned about Everton in general under Moyes. But the home form is especially worrying.
The Hill Dickinson Stadium was meant to be a fortress for Everton.
But in recent weeks, the players have struggled to look comfortable at Bramley-Moore Dock, with the players perhaps feeling the pressure from supporters.
Yesterday, Sunderland were the better side and deserved to advance.
In the game they played with real confidence, and Everton were fortunate to take the contest to extra-time with the late penalty decision.
For Moyes, the most frustrating aspect was that the away side were allowed to dominate. He admitted: “A lot of the players came in and did as best as they could do. There are no complaints. I didn’t think that in the first half, we didn’t do well enough.
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Some terrible displays out there again
“We were too passive. We didn’t want to allow them any domination of the ball, and we did. We found it difficult. So, getting the message on and trying to change it was not easy at the time. We got after them at half-time and I thought the players did a really good job.”
Sunderland finished the game having had 53% possession, and 16 shots with six on target, to Everton’s 14 and three on target.
Everton are crying out for key players to return
Everton were poor again yesterday, and it’s clear that Moyes is missing a number of key players.
The biggest miss is undoubtedly Iliman Ndiaye, with Everton lacking a spark in and around the final third.
But the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Idrissa Gana Gueye are also missed by Everton.
It’s a bit of a tough moment for the club and 2026 has not started well.
But once players return, that will be reason for optimism. And if Everton can get it right in the transfer window, there may well be hope of an outside push for European football yet.
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