Everton’s unbeaten start is beginning to feel less like a quirk of the fixture list and more like a statement. On Saturday at Hill Dickinson Stadium, it runs straight into an Ipswich Town side that has decided survival is not enough and entertainment is non-negotiable.
This is not a meeting of cautious early-season operators. It is a clash between a side quietly rediscovering its edge and another tearing up its own Premier League script.
Moyes finds depth in a stretched squad
Everton’s midweek win over Wolves in the Carabao Cup did more than book a place in the next round. It underlined that, even with a thin squad, David Moyes has options he can trust.
He went into that tie with only 15 fit senior outfield players. No Christian Norgaard, no Harrison Armstrong, no Merlin Rohl. Armstrong might make it back for Ipswich, but the strain of a brutal end to the summer window is already showing on the teamsheet.
Yet the players available made it count.
Charly Alcaraz, a second-half substitute, struck the decisive goal on 80 minutes – his first for the club in 13 months, delivered in his longest outing of the season. It was the sort of moment that can flip a player’s campaign, and Moyes will have noted not just the finish but the energy and intent that came with it.
Out wide, Tyler Dibling finally looked like the £35m winger Everton thought they were buying from Southampton a year ago. Just his eighth start since that move, and he made it count, driving at defenders and supplying the assist for Alcaraz’s winner. It was sharp, direct wing play – the kind that changes tight cup ties.
Then there was Brennan Johnson. Usually stationed on the flank, he operated through the middle after replacing Thierno Barry and gave Everton a different kind of focal point. His movement and willingness to stretch Wolves’ back line opened up spaces that had been missing.
For a manager working with a restricted pool, that sort of flexibility is gold. Moyes does not just have bodies; he has players who can shift roles and still affect games.
A platform of resilience
The reward is a record that carries real weight. The EFL Cup victory means Everton head into the Ipswich game unbeaten in six in all competitions – their best start to a season since 2020-21. It is also only the second time in either of Moyes’ spells that they have navigated their opening four Premier League fixtures without defeat.
If the cup tie was about fringe players making a case, the league draw at Tottenham reminded everyone who already sets the standard.
James Garner dominated that goalless game in north London. Fresh from groin surgery in pre-season, he snapped back to the level he hit last year: aggressive in the duels, tidy and inventive on the ball, and intelligent enough to plug gaps all over the pitch. His performance was the spine of a hard-earned point.
Garner offers Moyes a rare blend: physical presence, creative range, and tactical versatility. If Everton are serious about nudging their way back towards the European positions, he will be central to it. Matches like this one, against a bold and unpredictable Ipswich side, are exactly where his influence matters most.
Ipswich embrace the chaos
Ipswich arrive with scars and swagger in equal measure.
They have already beaten Sunderland and Crystal Palace this season and, for a spell at least, stood toe-to-toe with Manchester United before being overrun. Six points from four games marks a rapid start by their own recent standards – it took them 16 matches to reach the same tally in their previous Premier League campaign in 2024-25.
The catch? They have shipped 10 goals in those four games.
Only two teams in Premier League history had previously reached six points at this stage while conceding as many. Ipswich are now the third, and that statistic tells its own story: this is a team that has chosen risk over retreat.
Where they were more guarded two years ago, their current approach is far more open. The trade-off is clear – they score, they concede, and they keep coming.
At the heart of that ambition is Julio Enciso.
The 22-year-old summer signing has quickly become Ipswich’s attacking reference point. He leads the club’s charts for touches in the opposition box (14), shots (14) and dribbles (20). He also tops the entire Premier League for drawing fouls that result in bookings for opponents.
Enciso is not just busy; he is disruptive. He forces defenders into decisions they do not want to make, drags markers out of shape, and turns half-chances into moments of panic. For an Everton back line that has so far thrived on structure and discipline, he represents a sharp change of test.
Styles on a collision course
So the stage is set: Everton, compact and quietly confident, leaning on a core of trusted lieutenants and an emerging supporting cast. Ipswich, open and adventurous, leaning into the chaos and trusting their front line to outgun the damage at the other end.
Moyes will demand that his side turn their unbeaten run into something more substantial, especially at home. Ipswich will see a chance to make another loud statement, to prove that their early-season surge is not a brief burst but the start of a full-throttle campaign.
One team is trying to climb back towards Europe. The other is trying to rip up the script for newly returned sides.
Only one of them can keep their story intact.
