With Liverpool stumbling through the start of the campaign and their neighbours Everton producing form that can politely be described as patchy, the question naturally arises: Who is actually the best team in Merseyside right now?
And yes, before anyone says it, Tranmere are technically available for selection here but even their most loyal fans know this isn’t their fight.
While the league table is the clearest scoreboard we have, context matters. At the moment, the Reds sit ninth, with the Blues just behind in tenth with only a single point and two-goal difference separating them.
Where do your club sit after 14 matches? 📊 pic.twitter.com/Bazv3v4s5b
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 5, 2025
Neither club looks anywhere near its peak, so the debate sometimes feels more like “who’s less bad?” rather than “who’s better?”
In the head-to-head battle this season, Arne Slot’s men are 1–0 up, having handed the Toffees a 2–1 defeat at Anfield a scoreline that arguably flattered the visitors given how much control the hosts had.
The underlying numbers back up that slight advantage. FotMob’s xG table, which ranks sides on expected goals rather than actual results, suggests Slot’s team should be third, currently underperforming by around six points.
Moyes’ men, meanwhile, are doing the opposite: overperforming by two, with the model indicating they should be 12th.
In the summer, both clubs opened the chequebook, though Slot’s was the larger one shelling out a hefty £446m according to Sky Sports. A positive xG differential of +6.3 reflects that investment.
Moyes’ side, by contrast, sit at –2.3, a worrying sign for supporters who expected far more after big-name arrivals such as Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Another key factor is strength of schedule (SOS). Data indicates Slot’s men have faced the tougher run of fixtures over the first 14 games, yet they’re still averaging more points per match compared to their noisy neighbours.
So far, it feels as if the League holders are edging the rivalry, but only by a small margin. Their league placing, underlying metrics and head-to-head record all point towards them being the strongest side in the city they both call home.
This is no underdog tale, though. It’s important to remember FSG’s record-breaking summer. Before a ball was kicked, most would have bet on Everton being worse off and yet here we are having this conversation.
With the Hill Dickinson hosting its first derby on April 26th, we’ll finally see who battles it out to be crowned kings of the city.
