Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who opened Everton’s account for the season, believes teenager Harrison Armstrong deserves to keep his place in the side given his current displays as he discussed the objectives set for the campaign ahead.
David Moyes’ side began 2026/27 in impressive fashion by overcoming UEFA Conference League champions Crystal Palace 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday. Dewsbury-Hall broke the deadlock after 42 minutes before Thierno Barry doubled the advantage six minutes into the second half to secure all three points.
The midfielder commented that it represented an ideal beginning, with a victory and clean sheet, expressing that expectations could not have been higher. He acknowledged Palace as a strong opponent and admitted fortune favoured them at certain stages. However, he pointed out that the Premier League demands such resilience and that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford demonstrated his ability to bail the team out when required on multiple occasions. He felt the attacking play was particularly encouraging, with two well-taken goals and opportunities for additional strikes, leading him to view it as a thoroughly deserved result.
Following his £25million switch from Chelsea last summer, Dewsbury-Hall found the net eight times in the top flight last term, marking a personal record, so he was pleased to make an immediate impact this season and explained his desire to raise his performance standards. Recalling his goal, he joked that it was adequate though somewhat miscued before acknowledging it as a decent finish.
He acknowledged possessing such ability and revealed daily dedication to refinement, stating that when presented with the opportunity, he focused solely on scoring and felt confident upon contact with the ball. He expressed optimism about adding to his tally throughout the season.
His individual target is straightforward: surpassing last term’s output. While acknowledging a productive previous campaign, he believes further improvement is possible and attainable.
A positive beginning boosts morale and ends a sequence of two years without opening-day victories, generating confidence heading into the upcoming fixtures. He aims to maintain this momentum.
With six assists supplementing his eight goals last season, the midfielder accumulated 14 direct goal contributions and believes he can surpass these numbers as he continues developing. He explained that his focus extends to overall midfield performance.
While continuing to contribute through goals and assists remains important, he also wants to impact matches through general play both on and off the ball. Areas for improvement always exist, and several aspects from last season could have been executed better, making the strong start particularly satisfying.
That appearance marked his first full 90 minutes, and he felt fatigue setting up towards the conclusion but was pleased to have that match sharpness in his system ahead of the next fixture.
No specific numerical target exists in his mind, though exceeding last season’s figures across all aspects of his game is the objective. He referenced his form from a few seasons prior when goals and assists were less frequent but playmaking influence was strong, expressing desire to combine both elements. Achieving this would represent becoming a complete midfielder, which is his ultimate aim. He possesses the capability and remains hopeful of realising this potential.
He believes additional contributions are possible, acknowledging difficulty articulating this precisely but maintaining genuine belief in achieving more through scoring, assists, match control, and defensive work. This conviction drives him to view last season as concluded and approach the new campaign as an entirely fresh opportunity to demonstrate improvement.
Operating as Everton’s most advanced central midfielder in the number ten position, Dewsbury-Hall had a relatively inexperienced pairing alongside him. While Idrissa Gueye and James Garner had formed the regular partnership previously, Gueye has departed and Everton’s Player of the Season is only recently returning from groin surgery, appearing as a late replacement.
Dewsbury-Hall reserved particular praise for local talent Armstrong from West Derby, describing his performance as outstanding given his tender age and noting his embodiment of Everton’s ethos alongside exceptional stamina. He suggested that maintaining such levels would make excluding him from the side challenging. He also highlighted Hayden Hackney’s impressive Premier League debut.
A pre-season partnership has developed well and continued successfully into the competitive fixtures.
A 3-0 triumph over his former club Chelsea on March 21 positioned Everton within three points of Champions League qualification. However, a winless run spanning seven matches followed, causing them to slip to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League for the second successive season and missing out entirely on European competition.
Speaking at a Men in Blazers live event at Hill Dickinson Stadium last week, Dewsbury-Hall expressed frustration regarding the end-of-season collapse, making an immediate return to winning ways particularly satisfying.
Chief executive Angus Kinnear also addressed the media last week, emphasising the significance of targeting success in cup competitions. He referenced Newcastle United and Crystal Palace’s recent accomplishments, stating that discussions with ownership and Moyes have focused on leveraging the Carabao Cup and FA Cup to provide supporters with memorable achievements to celebrate and support.
Despite Liverpool and Manchester United being the only clubs exceeding Everton’s record of winning major honours across nine different decades, their current 32-year trophy drought represents the longest in the club’s existence. From the current first-team squad, only captain James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Christian Norgaard, Pickford, and third-choice goalkeeper Tom King had been born when Joe Royle’s side defeated Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United 1-0 in the 1995 FA Cup final.
The directive to improve in knockout competitions has been communicated to the squad. Moyes’ injury-plagued side suffered early elimination from the FA Cup against Sunderland last season, while changes in the Carabao Cup resulted in a second-round defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
Dewsbury-Hall stated that the summer felt extended, involving considerable reflection and processing. He admitted pre-season felt particularly lengthy as he anticipated this fixture.
Beginning positively creates an uplifting atmosphere within the squad. While pre-season showed gradual improvement, this performance represents the culmination at the ideal moment. Another fixture follows midweek, and the squad aims to progress deep into a cup competition this year, a message that has been reinforced throughout the build-up.
Everton begin their Carabao Cup journey away to Preston North End on Wednesday with an 8pm start.