Everton sack Marco Silva, Duncan Ferguson appointed as caretaker manager
Everton have parted company with the Portuguese coach, a day after the 5-2 defeat to Liverpool. Big Dunc will be on the bench for Sunday's meeting with Chelsea.
Everton have sacked manager Marco Silva in the wake of last night's Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool. The Blues dropped into the relegation zone in the Premier League after suffering a 5-2 defeat to their city rivals, the result left them 18th in the table on 14 points after 15 games.
The club announced the sacking of Silva on Thursday evening, ending the Portuguese tactician's 18-month stay at Goodison Park. Owner Farhad Moshiri travelled to Liverpool to be at the club on Thursday, an indication that Silva's time was up.
Everton release statement on Marco Silva
In a statement, Everton said: "Everton Football Club can confirm that manager Marco Silva has left the club. Majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, chairman Bill Kenwright and the board of directors would like to thank Marco for his service over the last 18 months and wish him well for the future. Duncan Ferguson has taken temporary charge of the first team and will manage the side for the game against Chelsea on Saturday. The club aims to confirm a new permanent manager as swiftly as possible."
Silva becomes the fifth manager to be sacked in the Premier League this season after Javi Gracía and Quique Sánchez Flores at Watford, Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham and Unai Emery at Arsenal. The former Watford, Hull and Sporting CP boss was appointed in May 2018, leading Everton to an eighth-placed finish last season.
However, their struggles in the first half of 2019-20 have led to the club making a change despite the tight nature of the Premier League table. Although they are in the drop zone, Everton are just six points behind eighth-placed Tottenham.
Moyes tipped for Goodison return
Former Everton manager David Moyes has been strongly tipped to the club as Silva's permanent replacement, although former striker and club favourite Ferguson takes the reins in the short term.