Chris Beesley tackles a talking point from the 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United as Everton’s winless run at Hill Dickinson Stadium extended to five matches
17:58, 27 Jan 2026
Yorkshiremen are known for their plain speaking, common sense talking – and a four-word appraisal from a member of the Leeds United media team to his colleague as we descended the steps from the press box at the top of Hill Dickinson Stadium’s West Stand summed up all you need to know about Everton’s magnificent new home by the banks of the Mersey.
The web warriors and self-proclaimed wits were out in force earlier on Monday when Leeds’ official account on X (formerly Twitter) wrote “a trip to Bramley-Moore Dock awaits” alongside a photograph of Hill Dickinson Stadium. “Big Tesco” remarked one comedian who should focus on making sure he doesn’t get the trolley with a dodgy wheel rather than going into a career in architecture, while another observer claimed that it looks like it “could flood any time.”
Thank you for the concern but in fact, the Holderness coastline in East Yorkshire is the fastest-eroding in Europe, so it’s the folk across the Pennines who should be worried in that respect as those holidays in Bridlington might have to be ‘knocked on’t’ead’. But banter and public bravado apart, when Leeds staff members spoke together about what they’d seen and heard, the verdict was clear.
He looked out and simply said: “They’ve got it right.”
Of course they have. Unlike this correspondent’s trip to Elland Road to report on Everton’s first game of the season, when I could hardly see any of the other three stands as the low-hanging upper tier above our heads made the viewing experience akin to watching the game through a letter box (or the back of the Lower Bullens at Goodison Park), there isn’t a bad seat in the house among the 52,769 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
This a modern ground, designed for football and – as Dan Meis said – providing “the ultimate homefield advantage.” The noise was there again on Monday night when the action on the pitch inspired it and you can just imagine the racket the Blues supporters would have made if Idrissa Gueye’s effort that struck the crossbar had gone in or if substitute Tyler Dibling had converted his late opportunity instead of passing the ball.
Another Leeds fan who is a Liverpool-based colleague of mine made his first visit to Everton’s new home for the game and echoed the sentiments. After being there and seeing it with his own eyes, he now believes it’s the best stadium in the country.
Tottenham Hotspur is higher-spec, but as Meis also remarked, he was building “a Ferrari, not a Bentley,” as this would be a high-performance building. Also, rather than being on a north London high street, some 10 miles north of the Houses of Parliament and the other great buildings of the capital by the Thames, Hill Dickinson Stadium is part of Liverpool’s world famous maritime skyline.
It’s the way the Blues are playing, rather than the impressive surroundings that they find themselves in, that is the reason why they’re not winning home matches.
Before anyone gets nostalgic about ‘The Grand Old Lady’ – another Leeds fan claimed Hill Dickinson Stadium was “sterile” and they’d have lost this game had it been played at Goodison Park – the fact is that Everton won just five league games there in their historic final season, the joint lowest total in their history along with 1957-58.
Since David Moyes returned, the Blues have won 10 Premier League away matches over the past year (they only had one in the previous 12 months), but it’s been an ongoing issue transferring that form – with successes like the one at Aston Villa last time out who had won their previous 11 home games – to the occasions when the vast majority of their fanbase watches them on a regular basis.
It’s not like Everton can’t beat teams at Hill Dickinson Stadium, after crucially overcoming Brighton & Hove Albion in their first competitive fixture there, they’ve followed that up by putting Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest to the sword, but like any such move, their Glaswegian gaffer appreciates there will be teething problems.
It’s been a recurring theme in his programme notes that Moyes has been encouraging the home crowd to make as much noise as possible and that was no different ahead of Leeds United’s visit.
He wrote: “I mentioned after the game last Sunday that it’s been a good time to be an Everton away supporter.
“Our form and our results away from home have been very good for a year. Now we need to bring that feeling and that belief into Hill Dickinson Stadium. “It’s never easy when a team first moves into a new venue, but our start this season was good and we need to find a way to get even more strong performances between now and the end of the season.
“It’s a fact recently we have been able to celebrate more often with our away supporters than we have with our home supporters. That is something we’re desperate to change and give you all a great feeling every time you come here to the stadium.
“We go out to win every game, but football doesn’t allow you to do that. We need your support when that isn’t the case.”