David Moyes returns to face one of his former clubs as Everton host Manchester United at Goodison Park on Monday evening in a Premier League clash that carries very different stakes for both sides. The Toffees sit 8th with 37 points, looking to cement their mid-table stability, while Michael Carrick's United arrive in 4th place on 45 points — eight clear of Everton and squarely in the hunt for Champions League football. United come in as clear favourites, though Moyes has demonstrated before that this Everton side can make life uncomfortable for visiting top-four outfits.
Everton's recent form paints a mixed picture, though there are positives buried inside it. Moyes' men opened the window with a gritty 1-0 win at Aston Villa on 18 January, then frustrated Leeds United to a 1-1 draw at home before earning another away point at Brighton on 31 January. A 2-1 win at Fulham on 7 February hinted at a side building momentum, but that was promptly undone when Bournemouth came to Goodison and left with all three points, winning 2-1. The Toffees have now lost back-to-back home league games since that run of away resilience, raising questions about their reliability in front of their own fans. With a record of 10 wins, 7 draws, and 9 losses, Everton have scored just 29 league goals — a figure that reflects how hard they find it to be prolific against organised opposition.
Manchester United arrive on the back of arguably their best run of the season. Since Michael Carrick took charge in January, United have gone unbeaten in six Premier League matches. Victories over Manchester City (2-0), Arsenal (2-3 away), Tottenham (2-0), and Fulham (3-2) announced the change in fortunes under the interim boss. Only a late equaliser from West Ham's Tomas Soucek denied a fifth consecutive win on 10 February, with a substitute earning a stoppage-time 1-1 draw to keep the streak alive. United's attack has found real teeth under Carrick, scoring 10 goals across those four victories, and their goal difference of +10 reflects a side clicking in the right direction.
Head to head, the fixture consistently tells the same story: United dominate. In 69 Premier League meetings since 1995, United have won 43 times compared to Everton's nine, with 17 draws. Their most recent clash — a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in November 2025 — snapped a run that included a 4-0 United thumping at Old Trafford in December 2024. Everton's last win in this fixture came in April 2022, and they have taken just one victory in the past 15 meetings against the Red Devils. Even when Everton have led, as they did 2-0 in February 2025, United have found a way back to salvage points.
My prediction is Both Teams To Score at 1.62. With Everton averaging 1.83 points per game at home this season and United's attacking output climbing sharply under Carrick, goals at both ends make logical sense — the hosts carry a real threat when backed by their own crowd, and a United side averaging nearly three goals per away game across their last four cannot be expected to go quiet. The H2H record also supports this: three of the last four meetings between these sides have seen both teams find the net, including both 2025 encounters. The xG projection (1.47–1.78) supports a 1-1 finish.
