Everton's 69-year top-flight run hanging by a thread

LONDON : Everton have spent more years in England's top flight than any other club and have not been outside it for 69 years, but that pedigree will count for nothing and relegation will look almost inevitable if they lose at Leicester City on Monday.

Thursday's 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United left Everton 19th on 28 points after mustering one win in 10 games. Their only realistic hope of survival is to claw their way above two of Leicester (29), Nottingham Forest (30) and Leeds (30).

Defeat at Leicester would pile on the pressure for their remaining fixtures against Brighton (away), Manchester City (home) and Wolves (away) so that by the time they host Bournemouth on the final day, it might already be too late for another great escape.

Last season a late surge hauled them to safety, with the team inspired by raucous support from the Goodison Park fans.

They were at it again to create a great early atmosphere against Newcastle but the passion drained alongside the paucity of performance and by the end the ground that has hosted more top flight games than any other was half empty.

How it has come to this is something of a mystery for a club which has spent an astonishing 700 million pounds since being taken over by Farhad Moshiri seven years ago. Although the David Moyes era of regular top six finishes seems ancient history, Everton still finished seventh, eighth and eighth from 2017-19 and were 10th in 2021.

The club's recruitment strategy has seemingly been to target middling players not deemed good enough by their Premier League rivals, who then fail to flourish at their new club.

The goals of Brazil striker Richarlison played a key part in keeping them up last season but after the club were forced to sell him to stay