Credit: Imago

Jonathan Burnett

Mon 24 February 2025 18:10, UK

Everton continue their slow climb up the Premier League table despite squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Manchester United on Saturday.

The Toffees saw a deserved 2-0 half-time lead go up in smoke at Goodison Park as the visitors scored two goals within eight second-half minutes to salvage a point, having been well off the pace beforehand.

Everton being controversially denied a stoppage-time penalty to win the game left a bitter taste in the mouth at full-time, but the stalemate at least ensures their unbeaten run continues under David Moyes.

Moyes has overseen a sequence of six Everton league matches in a row without defeat, including four victories, and that’s seen the Blues move 14 points clear of the bottom three, up to 14th place in the league table.

Supercomputer predicts downturn in form for Everton

Despite being by far the better side for 70 minutes of their eventual draw with the Red Devils on Saturday, Everton couldn’t quite see out the victory against a side currently sat one place below them.

The Toffees may be on an upward trajectory at the moment, but the Opta Analyst supercomputer has predicted their form to level out before season’s end (24 February), and forecasts them to finish 16th.

A 16th-placed finish is seen as having a 26.3 per cent probability by the supercomputer, with 15th at 24.0 per cent and only an 18.0 per cent likelihood of maintaining their current position of 14th.

Everton’s worries of relegation are seen as minimal, at just 0.13 per cent, but in the Analyst’s predicted Premier League table, they’re expected to finish below United with 44.83 points.

Everton can defy expectations in top half Premier League push

Winning around 45 points after 38 matches would certainly be commendable given just how badly Everton started the season, but they’ll certainly aiming higher than just 14 from their next 12 matches.

Although they came undone to surrender Saturday’s 2-0 lead against United, the Toffees won 17 from their last 12 by contrast, five of which came during the turbulent final weeks of Sean Dyche’s tenure.

As a result, and given the surging uptick in form experienced since Moyes replaced Dyche in the dugout, there’ll be very few Evertonians happy to rest on their laurels by winning just 14 more points this term.

Everton being overtaken by both Manchester United and West Ham before season’s end is only being mooted after both secured good results last weekend, and Moyes will be keen to reverse that trajectory.

With matches against four sides currently below them – Wolves, West Ham, Ipswich and Southampton – still to come before the end of the campaign, confidence will be sky-high that they can finish on a high.