Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Tue 14 April 2026 8:10, UK

If Everton sneak into the Champions League, they should thank Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Dewsbury-Hall is confident that the club will qualify for Europe, at the very least, this season, and has even gone as far as insisting that they “won’t have done themselves justice” if they miss out. It is quite frankly perfect timing, then, that he is enjoying the form of his life.

A few eyebrows shot up after he arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium in a hefty deal worth an initial £25million last summer. After all, he had just come off the back of a turbulent campaign at Chelsea, for whom he made just two Premier League starts.

But his arrival on Merseyside clearly represented a much-needed turning of the page for the 27-year-old midfielder, and he has grasped his opportunity with both hands. Now, he is arguably David Moyes‘ most important player, scoring seven top-flight goals this season.

His timely equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Brentford on Saturday not only helped the Toffees keep pace with their rivals for the top-five spots, but also saw him reach new heights.

How did Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall play vs Brentford?

It speaks volumes that no Everton player has netted more than Dewsbury-Hall in the Premier League this term, while he has been directly involved in 10 top-flight goals. These are impressive numbers, especially for an ace who only recently looked shorn of direction.

According to Opta, his 91st-minute strike at the Gtech Community Stadium saw him become the latest Evertonian to record 10 or more league goal contributions in his first campaign at the club, joining heroes such as Wayne Rooney, Tim Cahill and Peter Beardsley.

Clearly, Dewsbury-Hall had been one of the missing jigsaw pieces on Merseyside. Since being slotted into the picture, he has seized control of matches and defied his doubters.

Moyes had been lacking a midfielder able to punch through line-breaking passes and dribble with the ball, but Dewsbury-Hall has been able to comprehensively tick both of those boxes. In his advanced role, he has been given freedom to influence play and drift into space.

He is a jack of all trades, yes, but make no mistake, he’s also a master in his role.

His off-the-ball runs have given Everton dynamism in possession, pulling away opponents and opening up gaps for his team-mates to exploit. While he has been credited for popping off passes in the build-up to goals, much of his hard work has arguably gone under the radar.

Indeed, his underlapping darts in behind are statistically rivalled only by Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, whose heroics have attracted attention from Manchester City. Dewsbury-Hall used them to devastating effect in tandem with Jack Grealish, before the latter’s injury.

He has become an expert in exploiting space, and this was on show against Brentford. Seconds before he scored in injury time, he made a clever run off the back of Michael Kayode at the front post. This simple movement into the half space caused problems.

Fortunately for the visitors, Dewsbury-Hall wasn’t picked up despite hovering in a dangerous area as Jake O’Brien pulled the trigger from the edge of the box. That allowed the midfielder to snatch up the rebound before smartly sweeping low beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.

While Everton had piled bodies into the penalty area in search of an equaliser, it was Dewsbury-Hall’s ability to read the game and sense danger that ultimately rescued them.

David Moyes’ faith justified in style

He was always going to need time and patience after arriving, but now, he is handsomely repaying Moyes’ big-money gamble on him. Dewsbury-Hall has been influential as a No 10 and calmness personified in deeper positions, demonstrating leadership abilities.

Moyes will rightly be delighted. He has been vindicated after chasing the player for several months, having originally pushed to sign him on loan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window. Since he was snapped up, the team have become better all-round.

While the combinations between Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall are, of course, sadly missed, the latter has demonstrated he is more than capable of going it alone.

According to Sofascore, he has started 24 of the 32 top-flight matches to date this season and been deadly around the box, scoring his seven goals from an expected goals tally of just 3.68. He has also carved out eight big chances for his team-mates.

It is fitting that it was Dewsbury-Hall who issued the rallying cry last week, telling Everton they simply must qualify for Europe. He is certain to have the deciding say.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.