Everton Advance In FA Cup After Sean Dyche Dismissal

Everton avoided FA Cup embarrassment with a 2-0 victory against third tier Peterborough just hours after Sean Dyche was sacked by the struggling Premier League club on Thursday. Dyche was axed less than four hours before the third round tie, with the club's new owners, the Friedkin Group, reportedly in talks with former Everton boss David Moyes about a return to Goodison Park. Moyes is the bookmakers' favourite for the job of saving Everton from relegation, 12 years after he left for Manchester United.

The Scot, who managed Everton in a successful spell between 2002 and 2013, has been out of work since leaving West Ham at the end of last season.

The Toffees are once again battling to avoid relegation after winning just one of their past 11 games, with that sole success coming against lowly Wolves in December.

Everton have won only three times in 19 league matches this season and are languishing in 16th place, with only one point separating them from the relegation zone.

Dyche took charge at Everton in January 2023 and kept them in the top-flight despite numerous issues, including last season's points deduction for breaching Premier League rules on profit and sustainability.

Although the former Burnley boss maintained Everton's streak of being ever-present in English football's top-flight since 1954, their fans were unhappy with the team's dull style of play.

That made it especially painful when they failed to muster a single shot on target in Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth and managed only two in their 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the previous game.

Dyche was at the Everton training ground earlier on Thursday to say his goodbyes after the axe fell, while the matchday programme for the Peterborough game still