David Moyes acknowledges Merseyside gulf ahead of Goodison Park swansong

David Moyes accepts Everton have to find a way to bridge the "gulf" between them and the Liverpool squad in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

The 122nd and final encounter against their Stanley Park neighbours sees one of the widest gaps between the two teams, with the Reds looking to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and their hosts 30 points behind, albeit nine clear of the bottom three.

Everton's net spend over the last decade is around £300million, most of that excess coming in the early years of the chaotic reign of former owner Farhad Moshiri, but recent seasons have seen a tightening of belts as the club struggled - and failed - to comply with profitability and sustainability rules.

Liverpool have spent over £580m during that time but have been rewarded with Premier League and Champions League titles, in addition to an FA Cup and two League Cups.

While head coach Arne Slot was able to rest nine first-choice players for the weekend cup upset at Plymouth, Moyes named two goalkeepers and three academy players on the bench for their exit to Bournemouth.

It is particularly galling for Moyes, who knows a thing or two about punching above his weight as, in his first spell in charge, he finished ahead of Liverpool three times.

"We've always been chasing Liverpool, probably no more so than now," he said.

"I think the gap between the two teams at the moment is probably as big as it's been for a long time.

"It's something I have to try and bridge and start bringing the two clubs closer together. I certainly need to bring my club closer to their club if I can.

"There's a gulf between what's going on (regarding transfer comparisons) and everybody's aware of the situation here and the difficulty."

A quirk