JACK GREALISH PRESSURE: DAVID MOYES NEEDS GOALS AFTER GUEYE RED CARD FAIL
David Moyes calls on Jack Grealish to score more for Everton. Get the full team news as the Toffees face a midfield crisis against Newcastle United. Preview inside.
David Moyes wants more from one of his key players as Everton gets ready to play Newcastle United in the Premier League.
After a memorable 1-0 win away at Manchester United—their first victory at Old Trafford since December 2013—the Toffees play the Magpies at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal in a match where Idrissa Gana Gueye was sent off for slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane. But thanks to some great work from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Everton was able to hold on for the win.
Moyes is asking for more from Jack Grealish.
Grealish was taken off near the end after a quiet game, where he didn't create any chances or take any shots.
Still, Grealish has made Everton better in attack. He's tied for the most assists in the Premier League (4) and is third in chances created (24), with only Jeremy Doku (27) and Bruno Fernandes (31) ahead of him. Despite all that, the England player has only scored one goal since joining Everton on loan from Manchester City.
Moyes is happy with Grealish’s assists, but he wants the winger to score more goals for a team that has only scored 13 times in the Premier League this season.
I think he can get better. I would be lying if I said I was happy. I want him to score more goals. "I need him to score more," Moyes said at his press conference. If he keeps getting assists, then it's OK, but I think goals are more important. We've been really happy with him. He's helped the team a lot.
He's probably played more games this year than he did last year. He's doing well. He's getting better physically, and we want to keep him in the best shape.
Everton team updates for the Newcastle United game
Gueye has been given a three-match ban after being sent off for hitting Keane—Pickford had to pull them apart. Moyes said Everton appealed the ban right away, but the FA rejected it without giving a reason. We appealed the red card, and our appeal was rejected, Moyes said. We weren't told why it was rejected, but we did appeal it.
So, Everton might not have many players in midfield, as Merlin Rohl is out after a hernia operation.
"Yes, we are," Moyes said when asked if Everton needed midfield support. Merlin's operation has left us short, but we have other players who can play there—Charly Alcaraz and Dwight McNeil, if we need to. I think those players can do the job if needed. Merlin probably won't be back until the start of January, and Idrissa's suspension leaves us short in that area.”
Also, veteran defender and captain Seamus Coleman is out with a minor hamstring injury, and Nathan Patterson isn't ready to return after an injury. Jarrad Branthwaite will also be out until mid-January with a hamstring injury.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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