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EFC Daily: 'I now have an 1878 tattoo'
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
Over recent weeks, it has felt like the race that nobody wants to win.
Aston Villa,Liverpool and Chelsea have all been dropping points as they battle for a Champions League spots.
A win before the international break has given Villa just a little more breathing room in fourth, while defeats for Arne Slot's Reds and Liam Rosenior's Blues have left both clubs struggling to cement their place in Europe's premier club competition next season.
Their respective difficulties have given other teams, who at the start of the season could only have dreamed of the chance to secure Champions League football for next campaign, an opportunity to do just that.
With it all but certain that the Premier League will get an extra Champions League place for the second consecutive season, fifth is set to be enough to secure that ticket.
Brentford and Everton are just three points off that coveted spot, while Fulham are five points away and Brighton six.
Reaching form at the right time could be crucial, and if we take a look at the points-per-game record of those four chasing teams from their past seven results, it could give us an idea as to who has the best chance of toppling the traditional 'big six' teams for that final place.
If Brentford's PPG continues into the final seven games, it would take them to 56 points, while Everton's PPG of 1.7 would take them to 58 and just ahead of the Bees.
Fulham, meanwhile, have a form of 1.4 PPG that would take them to 54 points and not quite enough to overtake the two above, and in-form Brighton with 1.7 could get them to 55 points but that too would not take them past Brentford and Everton.
With so much left to play for and the pressure on the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool - who still have play each other - to reach their Champions League target, it could leave an opening for someone else to go on the ultimate European adventure.
Of the four sides eyeing an unexpected Champions League opportunity, who do you think has the best chance of sneaking into that fifth spot?
Liverpool are looking to sign 26-year-old forward Iliman Ndiaye from their city rivals Everton. (Teamtalk), external
Everton's 25-year-old midfielder James Garner and Ndiaye are targets for Manchester United in a £100m double deal. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Sunderland could face a battle to keep on-loan RB Leipzig utility player Lutsharel Geertruida at the club next term, with Everton, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Crystal Palace all interested in the 25-year-old Netherlands international. (Teamtalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
With seven matches remaining, Everton are eighth in the Premier League table and only three points behind fifth-placed neighbours Liverpool, so Toffees supporters could be forgiven for dreaming of potentially qualifying for next season's Champions League.
"If you're three points behind a team at this point of the season, you have to believe that you can overtake that team, whoever you are," Everton fan Natalie Bargery told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"There are teams three or four points behind us who will be thinking the same thing about us, so I am fully aware that that is going on behind us as well at the moment.
"I think if we're three points behind a team whoever they may be, we are bound to be focusing on that opportunity.
"It is dream world but if there is an opportunity for Champions League football then we've got to enjoy that opportunity and try to get it."
Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has unanimously voted that Arsenal's Kai Havertz should have been awarded a penalty on-field against Everton.
But it was also ruled that the video assistant referee (VAR) was correct not to intervene.
The Germany international went down under a challenge from Michael Keane in the 24th minute of the Gunners' 2-0 win at the Emirates on 14 March.
Referee Andy Madley allowed play to continue with the VAR, Stuart Attwell, deciding that contact was "minimal".
Replays shows that the Everton defender had inadvertently stepped on Havertz's foot.
The five members of the KMI Panel all felt Madley should have pointed to the spot, but there was a split 3:2 vote that it "was not a clear and obvious error requiring VAR intervention".
Arsenal have had no VAR errors recorded against them this season.
But two missed spot-kicks for the opposition have been logged in their favour, in away games at Everton and Brighton.
Rangers could bank a record fee for Emmanuel Fernandez this summer with the 24-year-old attracting interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, West Ham United, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. (TeamTalk), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesAs the disgruntled Chelsea faithful trudged out of Hill Dickinson Stadium with 20 minutes left, the Everton fans serenaded their players for 20 minutes post-match. The Toffees were excellent against Arsenal last week at Emirates Stadium, but this was even better.
The temptation is to pick out a few players, but that would miss the point. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a Chelsea reject, Beto and Thierno Barry would have been considered far too low grade to be viable by their opponents.
All the way through the squad, with just a few notable exceptions, on paper and certainly on the balance sheet, Chelsea should be streets ahead of Everton. But they were not on the day and with only seven games left there are only two points separating them.
At the match, it was hard not to put this down to the effect of an experienced manager who knows how to get the best out of his charges. He also knows how to build a team spirit and is clearly liked and respected by those working for him.
Europe is now a real possibility for Everton and for once they are even looking forward to Liverpool visiting in a few weeks' time.
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Manchester United are looking at 19-year-old RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, Newcastle United and England defender Lewis Hall, 21, and Everton and Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye, 26, as they prepare for a likely return to European competition. (Sky Sports), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Mike Richards
Fan writer
Image source, PA MediaThere was something incredibly poetic about our hammering of Chelsea.
At the end of a week in which the aforementioned club received what was arguably an arm round the shoulder from the Premier League, it fell to us to hand them an on-field sanction and it felt incredibly satisfying.
All the talk pre-match seemed to go back to how harshly we felt we were treated in 2023-24, when we got a heavy points deduction for our minimal and explainable financial misdemeanour.
We felt ignored. We felt scapegoated. We felt hung out to dry in a battle of football and independent regulation.
Chelsea's sanction simply opened up old wounds.
Saturday felt like a chance to show how we have recovered, how we simply refused to lie down and accept what was a daunting fate.
Our new home has so often felt like a leveller for away sides. Saturday was when that feeling was put to bed.
Hill Dickinson Stadium was boisterous, electric, vicious and blue. A cauldron of noise, from Z Cars to the walk back up Regent Road long after the full-time whistle.
It was the night that Everton Football Club truly came home.
Everton were simply sensational. The desire, commitment, cohesiveness and bottle on show epitomised what it means to play for our club.
Money may buy you individual brilliance but it does not automatically create a team.
The international break has come at the wrong time for us. However, it is a great opportunity to rest and get ready for the seven remaining cup finals of the season.
European football is there for the taking. I never thought I would be saying that this season.
Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external
Ben White may be back in the England squad but could leave Arsenal this summer, with Everton keen on the 28-year-old defender. (FourFourTwo), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Everton FCManager David Moyes and members of Everton's first-team squad spent an afternoon at the Everton in the Community Showcase at Finch Farm last week, discovering more about the work of the club's official charity.
Everton In The Community helps 36,000 people every year across Merseyside, from babies to pensioners, with more than 60 life-changing programmes.
The team were involved with games like backgammon, wheelbarrow races and wellbeing obstacle courses with those who benefit from the charity.
Club captain Seamus Coleman told BBC Radio Merseyside: "I'm very proud of it and being part of Everton for so long. It started off quite small and it's got bigger and bigger every year.
"I'm not just saying it, it's humbling to be involved in these things and see the impact you can have on these people as a player.
"The volunteers are incredible and it has been proven that Everton In The Community has saved lives. I've heard people come to me and tell me and it's powerful.
"It's something we are and should be very proud of."
Hear more from what happened on the day on BBC Sounds
Everton could return to European competition with a strong end to the season. Looking ahead, what will this season's progress mean for David Moyes and his squad?
"Everton fans will want to kick-on, so that will require investment from the Friedkin Group and at some point it will require them possibly to play a more front-footed style of football more consistently," said journalist Rory Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
"That will be a challenge for Moyes as it has been for a lot of managers.
"I don't think he is a defensive manager, but fans want to be entertained.
"Sometimes being entertained is a matter of perception. I think they will have to dominate games more and be more assertive.
"Their history makes the standards very high at Everton and Moyes has been amazing this season - you could even make the case for him being manager of the year - but the challenge for Everton is always to make that next step and that is always complicated."
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Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Everton and England striker Wayne Rooney, speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show about James Garner being called up to the England squad: "He fully deserves to be in there, he's been brilliant all season. His attitude when playing right-back and in midfield, his quality, his tackling, his passing - everything about his performances this season has been top-class.
"I think he'll be on the plane [to the World Cup].
"People say this and you might not understand it - he's a player you look at and you know he's come through Manchester United's academy.
"They do everything right - their attitude, how they're tackling, how they're running. It's really evident when you see it. He's a player who does everything well.
"There were concerns when he was younger about his mobility and getting around the pitch, but he's put all of that to bed. He looks like one of the fittest on the pitch and he's a big lad as well.
"He's got everything going for him. He's just signed a deal [until 2030] - that's great business for Everton because he'll be such an important player over the next few years."
Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
Goalscorer Beto spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside after Everton's victory against Chelsea: "It feels amazing to help the team to win a must-win game and to keep a clean sheet so we are all happy."
On his more regular game time: "It's good for me. I am getting to my level of confidence and playing the all-round game. It is getting really good for me.
"As a striker for Everton, I need to put a great shift in for hold-up play, running behind and trying to score goals. If I do this well the team can be more confident and create more chances.
"In the international [break] some of us will rest and some will put in the work - but we needed this break. When we come back, we will put in 120%."
Image source, PA MediaFormer Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast about Everton's improvement this season: "They're winning off the pitch with that stadium and they're backing it up on the pitch.
"They've got some top players in that squad; Iliman Ndiaye, who I love watching, James Garner performing in midfield, Jordan Pickford saving some amazing shots, James Tarkowski being that leader.
"They have a nice mix of top players and a manager who has been there and done it at multiple clubs.
"The signs are looking really positive."
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League between Everton and Chelsea.
Here are some of your comments:
Everton fans
Jack: An excellent team performance, from Jordan Pickford to Beto. Jordan looked unbeatable, the back four were solid, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye were outstanding and always looked in control. I was really pleased for Beto - he always works hard and got his reward this time, ably assisted by our wide players. A good day to be an Evertonian.
Harry: It might be a single result to other teams, but this means so much more to Evertonians. This performance showed the power of our supporters, and the realisation that Hill Dickinson Stadium will soon be a powerhouse. We have had years of discontent but it's had more to do with the ownership than the fans. The real turnaround starts next season.
James: Best performance of the season - thoroughly deserved. Every player at least 9/10 and some were 9.5. We have some momentum now, so who knows.
Greg: Everton looked like the only side that wanted to win. Fantastic all-round performance that really gave the fans something to sing about. The stadium was rocking. Well done to all the players.
Chelsea fans
John: Players who aren't good enough are getting exposed. Wesley Fofana is shocking and Enzo Fernandez is carrying on like he is Mr Chelsea but can't back it up with a performance. Club is rotten from the top down, and I don't see silverware in our future for quite a while. One bright point is Estevao Willian, but can he thrive in such an obviously toxic dressing room?
James: Woeful just about sums it up. It looks like Liam Rosenior is out of his depth and the goalkeeper situation needs urgent attention. I would play Teddy Sharman-Lowe against Port Vale and see what he can do.
Rod: With the present owners and manager, Chelsea will struggle. The owners just do not understand Premier League football and the manager is not up to the job. Too inexperienced - end of story.
Gordon: How long before the owners admit they have got it completely wrong? Recruitment, training, coaching, tactics. Outsmarted by every other manager and outrun by every other team. A complete embarrassment. The "project" is a failure and Chelsea fans are fed up with it.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe fight for Champions League football appears to be turning into the race that no-one wants to win.
For the second year in a row, it is all but certain that the top five teams in the Premier League will qualify for next season's Champions League.
But shock defeats and inconsistency means the form of the so-called top sides is falling off a cliff.
Defeats for Liverpool and Chelsea have opened the door for a team to come out of left-field and clinch a coveted Champions League place.
Could it be Everton? Brentford? Even Fulham, 10th-placed Brighton and teams below remain in touch.
Everton have competed sporadically in Europe throughout the 21st century, most recently in 2017-18 when they featured in the Europa League.
They have not featured in the Champions League proper since 1970-71, when it was known as the European Cup.
But eighth in the Premier League, just three points off the top five with seven league games to go, the Toffees are in serious contention to not only compete in Europe but perhaps even reach the continent's top competition.
Manager David Moyes was keen not to get carried away with the idea of Champions League football at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but did not shy away from what being in Europe would mean to the club.
"I'd love to say it was [a possibility] as I'm trying to be more positive than I would normally be, but for Everton to even be in the mix for Europe is unbelievable, whether it is Conference League or Champions League," Moyes said.
"We were sitting here last year just beginning to edge ourselves away from relegation and still had lots of money to pay off, new ownership and 10 or 12 players out of contract - so for us to be in the position we are now is just great.
"I can imagine, if we could possibly do it, what it would do for the crowds here as Evertonians are desperate to get back amongst it."
Champions League football might have seemed like a far-away dream for a club who have spent more time trying to avoid relegation in recent seasons, but under Moyes they have enjoyed a resurgence that has almost made that dream a reality.
Speaking to BBC Sport the Scot said a top-10 finish would be a "really good year" and that they will "try and give ourselves a chance of getting in the European competitions".
