2013–14 Everton F.C. season


The 2013–14 season was Everton's 22nd season in the Premier League and 60th consecutive season in the top division of English football. It was also Everton's 115th season of league football and 117th season in all competitions. It was the first season without David Moyes as manager since 2002, with Moyes leaving Everton to succeed Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United. In addition, the club crest was redesigned ahead of this season for the first time since 2000. On 5 June 2013, Roberto Martínez was announced as the new Everton manager, having left his post at relegated FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic. Everton finished in sixth position in the domestic league in the previous season, missing out on qualification for the UEFA Europa League, meaning it failed to qualify for any European competitions for the fourth season running.
Everton's Premier League campaign began in August 2013 with Martínez changing their style of play to a possession based, attractive brand of football which initially led to three successive draws to start the season. A first victory came in the next match 1–0 against Chelsea and by Christmas Everton had only suffered one defeat, a run which included a win over Moyes' Manchester United, the first time the club had tasted success at Old Trafford in 21 years. The team almost went an entire year unbeaten at home but lost 1–0 against Sunderland on Boxing Day. Everton's progress stalled somewhat in the early part of 2014 with three losses in four games against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, before winning seven league games in a row for the first time since 1987. The spell contained perhaps Everton's best performance of the season when they defeated Arsenal 3–0. The streak was ended with a 3–2 home defeat by Crystal Palace, but Everton returned to do the double over Manchester United for the first time since 1969. Moyes was sacked as their manager a day later. Two defeats in a row after this ended Everton's Champions League hopes but a finish of 5th in the league table is their highest in five years with Everton qualifying for next season's Europa League. Martínez utilised the loan market during the season, with Romelu Lukaku being Everton's top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions. The emergence of young players such as Ross Barkley, John Stones and summer signing James McCarthy was also a feature of his debut season in charge, with Barkley going on to be selected for England's World Cup squad. Right back Séamus Coleman was named Everton's player of the year.
In the cup competitions Everton lost in the sixth round of the FA Cup and the third round of the League Cup.

Season overview

July

Everton announced on 25 May 2013 that the club would be competing in the inaugural edition of the International Champions Cup, based in venues across the United States and in one European city, and held between 27 July and 7 August 2013. The opening fixtures were announced four days later, with Everton playing 2012–13 Serie A champions Juventus in the first round.
Between 8 and 9 July 2013, Roberto Martínez signed four players who last season played for his former club Wigan Athletic:
Everton also signed 19-year-old Spanish forward Gerard Deulofeu on a season-long loan from Barcelona the following day, on 10 July 2013.

August

Everton's Premier League campaign began on 17 August with a 2–2 draw away to Norwich City, during which Ross Barkley scored his first goal for the club. New manager Roberto Martínez saw his first competitive win come in the second round of the League Cup with Everton needing extra time to defeat League One Stevenage 2–1.

September

On the final day of the summer transfer window Everton brought three players into the club:
Two long standing Everton players were sold:
Everton's first league win of the season came with a 1–0 home success over Chelsea with Steven Naismith getting the game's only goal. They then came back from 2–1 down to beat West Ham United 3–2 at Upton Park as Leighton Baines scored two free-kicks and Romelu Lukaku became the first Everton player since Alan Ball in 1966 to score a winner on their debut. The result also made Roberto Martínez the first ever manager in the club's history to be unbeaten in their first six games. However, the run did not last as in the next fixture Fulham won 2–1 in the third round of the League Cup. New striker Lukaku continued his early form for the club by scoring two goals in the next league game against Newcastle United in a match where Everton led 3–0 at half-time and survived a second half comeback to win 3–2.

October

Everton's unbeaten run in the Premier League at the start of the season came to an end on 5 October when it was defeated by Manchester City by 3–1 at the City of Manchester Stadium. After the international break the following week, Everton returned to winning ways with a 2–1 home victory over Hull City, which saw Steven Pienaar score the winning goal just 10 seconds after coming off the bench, making his return to the side from a hamstring injury. A 2–0 away win over Aston Villa the following week saw Romelu Lukaku score his fifth goal in as many league appearances for Everton, and momentarily moved the club into fourth position on the league table.

November

Everton began the month with a 0–0 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur which meant the club had only suffered one defeat from their opening 10 games in successive seasons for the first time in its history. Another 0–0 draw followed before the first Merseyside derby of the season during which Everton came from 2–1 down to lead 3–2, before an 89th minute Liverpool goal saw the game end 3–3. Everton returned to winning ways by defeating Stoke City 4–0 with both Gerard Deulofeu and Bryan Oviedo scoring their first league goals for the club. Romelu Lukaku continued his impressive start to the season by scoring his eighth goal in ten games as Everton finished the month in the Champions League places. With Oviedo and Séamus Coleman both scoring it was the first time in Everton's history that both fullbacks found the net during a game.

December

The next fixture saw Manchester United manager David Moyes face his former club for the first time and it was Everton who won 1–0 to record their first victory at Old Trafford for the first time in 21 years with another goal from Oviedo. Deulofeu scored an 84th-minute goal to earn a 1–1 draw with league leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the next fixture. Everton then beat Fulham at home for the 21st consecutive time with a 4–1 win as Leon Osman scored on his 300th league appearance for the club. Everton then travelled to Swansea and won 2–1, maintaining their record of never having lost to the Welsh side in any fixture. The club then suffered a setback to bottom of the table Sunderland, losing at home in the league for the first time in a year, after Tim Howard conceded an early penalty and was sent off in the 25th minute. Winning ways were restored in the following fixture against Southampton with goals from Coleman and Lukaku, his first in five league starts, to ensure Everton ended 2013 fourth in the table.

January

The new year began with Everton travelling to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke City and they earned a 1–1 draw courtesy of a stoppage time Leighton Baines penalty. A comfortable progression into the fourth round of the FA Cup followed by beating Championship side Queens Park Rangers 4–0 with striker Nikica Jelavić scoring his first goals of the season. Everton's first league win of 2014 was a 2–0 home success over Norwich City, meaning the side had now earned 42 points from their last 51 at Goodison Park. The club then saw off League One side Stevenage 4–0 to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, but then suffered their biggest derby defeat since 1982 as Liverpool thrashed them 4–0 at Anfield.
During the January transfer window Everton brought two players into their first team squad:
The club also sold two players during the month:
scored a fantastic 25 yard freekick as Everton came from a goal down to beat Aston Villa 2–1. Everton lost for the second time in three games as Tottenham Hotspur defeated them 1–0 at White Hart Lane, but their form in the FA Cup continued with a 3–1 home success over Swansea City to reach the quarter-finals. The club then lost a second league game in a row for the first time this season when Chelsea scored a stoppage time winner at Stamford Bridge.

March

returned from an ankle injury to score a late goal in a 1–0 win over West Ham United to begin March, but Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup following a 4–1 defeat to Arsenal which means the club have now failed to beat the Gunners in the last 20 away meetings. Séamus Coleman's miscued shot in the last minute of the next game against Cardiff City ensured Everton responded with a 2–1 victory to be placed sixth in the table. The club then won four league games in a row for the first time in six years by defeating Newcastle United 3–0 thanks to an amazing solo goal from Ross Barkley who dribbled from inside his own half to score the opener. It was Everton's biggest win at Newcastle in 47 years. Everton ended the month with a fifth successive victory for the first time since 2002 with a 3–1 away win over Fulham.

April and May

Everton beat Champions League rivals Arsenal 3–0 at home in a performance manager Martínez described as tactically perfect. The result left the side a point behind the fourth placed Gunners with a game in hand. A seventh successive league win for the first time since 1987 followed with a 1–0 victory over Sunderland which moved the club into fourth place. It also took them to 65 points, the highest total Everton have ever amassed in a Premier League season. The club then handed the initiative back to Arsenal in the race for Champions League football as they lost 3–2 at home to Crystal Palace. Everton responded with a 2–0 victory over Manchester United and in doing so did the double over for the reigning champions for the first time since 1969. Everton's previous manager David Moyes was sacked by United a day later after just 10 months in charge. However, Everton then lost 2–0 against Southampton and 3–2 to Manchester City to end their chances of finishing the campaign in fourth place. Before the Manchester City game there had been rumours that Everton would not try 100% or field a weakened side as any positive result would give rivals Liverpool the impetus in the race for the title. Roberto Martínez insisted his team would be giving everything they had for the win and, despite the loss, he said afterwards that he was proud of the effort of the players. Everton finished the season by winning 2–0 away at FA Cup finalists Hull City to finish fifth in the table and qualify for next season's Europa League.

Pre-season

Friendlies

International Champions Cup

Competitions

Overall

Premier League

League table

Results summary

Results by matchday

Matches

League Cup

FA Cup

Players

First team squad

Out on loan

Player awards

Appearances

Goalscorers

Disciplinary record

Home attendances

Correct as of match played 3 May 2014.

Transfers

In

Out

Loans in

Loans out