Wednesday night marks the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, but for David Moyes, it is also his first taste of the fixture since his return to L4 in January.

Of course, he’s been here before. Back in April 2003, he was preparing for his first Goodison derby during his initial stint as Everton boss. There are striking parallels between that encounter and the one Everton will face this week - though the contexts of the two games could hardly be more different.

Moyes’ first Goodison showdown with Liverpool came toward the end of his first full season in charge. He had inherited a side stuck in a cycle of mediocrity, consistently underperforming. In the three seasons before his arrival, Everton’s league finishes read 16th, 13th, and 14th. Sound familiar?

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The 2003 Derby: A club reborn

After guiding Everton to safety in 2001/02, finishing 15th, Moyes transformed them into European contenders within a year. By the time they faced Liverpool that April, the Toffees sat fifth - remarkably, one point ahead of their Stanley Park neighbours, who had finished second the previous season.

With four games remaining, Everton were in the thick of the Champions League race, just four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. The talk was all about how Moyes had turned a once-ordinary Everton side into European contenders. But beyond that, there was an even greater incentive - the chance to finish above Liverpool for the first time since Howard Kendall’s title-winning team in 1987.

Liverpool, under Gerard Houllier, were also desperate for points, sitting sixth and needing a win to keep their own European ambitions alive. Without the suspended Sami Hyypiä and the injured Stéphane Henchoz, Liverpool were forced to field an improvised central defensive pairing of Igor Bišćan and Djimi Traoré to deal with the young Wayne Rooney, who was making his first Merseyside derby start.

Moyes, at the time, was keen to emphasise Everton’s transformation. “Strangely enough, I have not seen myself competing with Liverpool and I’ve certainly not used Liverpool as a marker,” he said.

“At the start of the season, people would have been talking about Leeds as one of the top teams in the division - and there are others you would have had above Everton. Liverpool weren’t in our division at the start of the season. We were playing in one of those ‘other leagues’ you hear about in the Premiership.

“People said we were going to blow out, but it doesn’t feel like we are.”

His words reflect an Everton side punching above its weight, defying expectations, and proving the naysayers wrong. It’s a sentiment that feels just as relevant today, even with the small sample size of Moyes’ four games back in charge.

Liverpool’s quality told on the day. Michael Owen scored his first open-play goal in a derby after ten attempts, while Danny Murphy’s curling strike sealed a 2-1 victory. Everton finished with nine men after late red cards for David Weir and Gary Naysmith, their physical approach ultimately costing them against a Liverpool side that, even with a makeshift back line, proved too strong.

Everton, who had been tipped to fade away all season, ultimately did, losing three of their last four games to finish seventh - five points behind the Reds. The derby showed that while Moyes had drastically improved the club’s fortunes, they seemingly had hit their ceiling.

The 2025 Derby: A club in need of revival

Fast forward 22 years, and once again, Everton find themselves in a season of transition under David Moyes. Just as in 2002, he has taken over a club desperately in need of direction. Everton have spent the past three seasons circling the plughole, finishing 15th, 17th, and 16th, and when Moyes, took over on January 11th they sat just a point clear of the drop zone.

Yet, in just four league games, he has already injected new life into the team. Everton have won three in a row, scoring eight goals - more than half of their total tally for the season under Sean Dyche. Suddenly, a fanbase resigned to another relegation scrap finds itself nine points clear, tentatively glance up the table rather than down it.

Unlike in 2003, however, Liverpool are operating on another level entirely. That ‘other League’ Moyes made light of in 2003 could not be more true of today. Arne Slot’s team sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League, having lost just once all season. This isn’t a battle for European places - the two sides are worlds apart.

Moyes acknowledged as much in his press conference: “I think the gap between the two teams at the moment is as big as it's been for a long time. It’s something I have to start bridging, bringing my club closer to their club.

“I'll always remember Lee Carsley's goal when we won here, and Andy Johnson. Over the years, Liverpool have always been a tough opponent - and I'm sure tomorrow they will be, as well.”

That Carsley goal in 2004/05 marked Moyes’ first Goodison derby win, as he continued reshaping Everton into the resilient, hard-to-beat side that would ultimately finish fourth that season. The question now is whether he can perform a similar transformation again.

Regardless of league positions or form, this derby carries enormous symbolic weight. This last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, the 120th and final battle at the Grand Old Lady before Everton’s move to Bramley-Moore Dock.

If Moyes can engineer a result, it would bring hugely valuable points and might just give Arsenal a boost in their title chase. But more than that, it’s about pride - about giving Goodison Park the send-off it deserves with one final, unforgettable night.

In 2003, Everton found their ceiling against Liverpool. In 2025, they are still searching for the floor to build from. But if anyone can remind Evertonians of their club’s resilience, its grit, and its ability to defy expectations, it is David Moyes.