A typically strong finish in the 2011-12 Premier League campaign sparked a sense of optimism around Goodison Park as Everton set out to reach the promised land of the Champions League.

However, the Blues needed to shake off their tag as perennial slow starters if they were to replicate their finish of 2005, when they finished in fourth place.

August

A season full of promise started with a memorable 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Goodison Park, with Maroune Fellaini scoring the only goal of the game.

The Belgian scored again in a comprehensive 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park. Nikica Jelavic, who had the Midas touch since his £5m move from Rangers, opened his account for the new season.

The month ended with a 5-0 win over Leyton Orient in the League Cup, with Belgian winger Kevin Mirallas opening his account for the Toffees.

September

Goals from Shane Long and Gareth McAuley saw the Baggies inflict the first defeat of the season upon David Moyes's side.

Everton twice took the lead against Newcastle United, but a brace by Demba Ba helped the Magpies claim a point at Goodison Park. Successive league wins against Swansea City and Southampton got their season back on track.

However, their League Cup campaign ended before it really started as a young team lost 2-1 against Leeds United at Elland Road.

October

A good start was stilted by three draws in October. A 2-2 draw with Wigan was followed by a 1-1 draw against Queens Park Ranger at Loftus Road.

The Merseyside Derby followed, with Toffees fans confident of victory against their bitter rivals. They found themselves two goals down thanks to a brace by Luis Suarez, but Leighton Baines and Steven Naismith got the Blues back on level terms.

They went on to claim a point, although the linesman came to their rescue when Suarez had a goal disallowed deep into injury time, despite replays showing that the goal should have been allowed.

November

Fellaini continued his early-season form with a brace at Craven Cottage, but it was not enough to claim three points as Bryan Ruiz and Steve Sidwell replied to seal a 2-2 draw.

A run of four successive draws came to an end with a 2-1 win over Sunderland, with Fellaini bagging his sixth goal of the season.

Steven Naismith broke the deadlock against Reading at the Madejski Stadium, but Adam Le Fondre's brace meant that the travelling Blues were sent home disappointed.

Back-to-back 1-1 draws against Norwich City and Arsenal followed, somewhat spoiling Everton's impressive start to the campaign.

December

Fellaini once again found the net to give Everton the lead against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, but Carlos Tevez equalised to seal a point for the Citizens, but one of the most dramatic games of the entire English calendar was to follow.

Champions League rivals Tottenham Hotspur came to town looking for a win, which looked like happening when Clint Dempsey scored midway through the second half at Goodison Park.

That looked to have decided matters in a tight game, but late goals from Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic snatched the points for Everton.

The Blues extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a 1-1 draw against Stoke City, followed by wins against West Ham United and Wigan Athletic, but a 2-1 defeat at home to Chelsea saw them end the month on a sour note.

January

Manager Moyes took his team to St James' Park for their first game of 2013 but fell behind to Papiss Cisse's first-half goal. They were not behind for long, however, as Baines belted a spectacular free kick to restore parity before the break. The points were decided by Victor Anichebe in the second half.

A 5-0 win over Cheltenham Town got their FA Cup campaign off to the best of starts, but an inconsistent season was summed up by their next two games – both 0-0 draws against Swansea and Southampton with nothing more than a whimper.

Faith was restored with a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion at the Goodison to finish the month. A 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers saw their FA Cup run gather pace.

February

Aston Villa came to town in the first week of February. The Villans were struggling at the bottom of the Premier League and many saw this as an ideal opportunity for the Toffees to notch up three important points.

That's not how events transpired, however, as Christian Benteke made himself a nuisance by scoring two goals in a 3-3 draw – the least Villa deserved. Fellaini found the net once more, this time deep into time added one, to rescue a point for the home side.

The month ended with successive defeats. No-one expected much from the away trip to Old Trafford, but the manner of the loss a bitter taste in Toffee mouths. Grant Holt's last-minute goal at Carrow Road, after Everton had led 1-0, made their misery even more palpable.

It took a replay for the Toffees to eventually dispatch Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup. Many other teams had bitten the dust already, leading to a belief that this could be the year Moyes, and Everton as a football club, finally ended their long wait for a trophy.

March

By now, the Blues' bid for Champions League qualification was beginning to falter. Cracks were showing, but three wins in a row revived their challenge. A 3-1 victory against Reading was expected, but the Goodison Park faithful were more than a little anxious ahead of an FA Cup quarter-final clash with Wigan.

If they succeeded, it would mean a second semi-final within the space of two years. There was a growing sense of optimism around Merseyside, but a disastrous first half, in which the Latics blitzed three goals, quickly curtailed their dreams of glory.

The need for retribution was such that their next league game, at home to champions Manchester City, took on added meaning. Croatian striker Jelavic was in the midst of a goal drought, but he came off the bench to seal the points in a 2-0 win, which once again revived hopes of returning to Europe's top table.

Mirallas's solo effort against Stoke City two weeks later grabbed three more points and had Everton fans continuing to dream. Their divisional rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea were regularly dropping points – the question was, had the Blues given them too much of a head start?

April

Everton travelled to White Hart Lane for a crucial clash at the start of April. If they won, they would leapfrog their opponents and, for the first time in a long time, properly become contenders in the top-four equation.

Emmanuel Adebayor's first-minute goal had Everton on the back foot, but Phil Jagielka restored parity. Everton were looking like a team capable of taking all three points, and when Mirallas scored another one of his mazy solo efforts, it seemed as though the Merseyside outfit would upset their North London counterparts. It wasn't to be, as Gylfi Sigurdsson's goal earned the hosts a well-deserved point.

A 2-0 victory over QPR was followed by a hard-earned goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium. Still, their Champions League dream was not dead.

The final nail in the coffin was eventually driven home by a Paolo Di Canio-revitalised Sunderland. The Italian's arrival had galvanised the Black Cats, underlined by their 3-0 win over North East rivals Newcastle United a week earlier. Stephan Sessegnon scored the only goal of the game at the Stadium of Light, finally ending any realistic hopes of Everton mixing it with Europe's best.

May

April ended with a 1-0 victory over Fulham, but next up was the Merseyside derby. Everton had not beaten their local rivals away from home since Kevin Campbell's solitary goal brought a 1-0 win in 1999, but, with Luis Suarez suspended, there was a sense that now was the time to break that duck.

Again, Everton fans were left disappointed. Both teams failed to inspire in a drab 0-0 draw, but, with Sylvain Distin's seemingly legitimate goal was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Pepe Reina, there was a sense of injustice. In the end it was futile, as both teams showed their shortcomings - neither deserved maximum points.

Everton fans could not have guessed that Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement would shunt their club into the limelight, but Moyes's succession to the Old Trafford throne did just that. With the Blues' season effectively over, fans sent the Scot on his way with well wishes.

A warm reception is just what he received as he led Everton out against West Ham United for his final game at Goodison Park. A brace by Mirallas ensured that they finished above the Reds for the second consecutive season – the first time such has occurred since 1939 – but the occasion was one of mixed emotions.

A season that promised so much ended with a dead rubber at Stamford Bridge. The match summed up Everton's season – plenty of threat, no execution. Poor finishing saw the Moyes era end with a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.