Everton enjoyed a comfortable evening at Hill Dickinson as they dispatched Burnley 2-0.
Goals from James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall secured the points for the Blues; meanwhile, a stunning reflex save from Jordan Pickford kept Everton's clean sheet intact.
David Moyes's side remain in eighth on 43 points as they firmly find themselves in the mix for Europe.
First home win since December
There’s been no escaping that it’s been a challenging few months at Hill Dickinson for Everton. The club started life in a perfect manner with a 2-0 victory over Brighton in what seemed like the perfect opener at their brand-new home.
It was always going to take time for both the club and supporters to adapt to their new home. Goodison was the home of the Blues for over 133 years, so it was always going to take some time to adapt.
Late kick-off times haven’t helped the transition, but with the 2-0 victory over Burnley, it was a comfortable evening at Hill Dickinson.
With four home games remaining, David Moyes will hope this result can be used as a catalyst as the Blues remain in European contention.
The race for Europe is on
Everton find themselves eighth in the Premier League, six points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, and two points behind Chelsea.
David Moyes’s side must find the consistency to mount a charge for Europe as they’ve got the talent in the squad to prove it.
Jordan Pickford is an ever-reliable and often wins the Blues points. Jarrad Branthwaite’s return has installed calmness in Everton’s back four and has seen recent improvements from James Tarkowski and Vitalii Mykolenko.
James Garner has kicked on and has shown this season that he has the ability to take control of Everton’s midfield, while the flair of Iliman Ndiaye is **David Moyes**’s key source of creating chances and scoring goals.
Summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has become a match-winner for Everton and provides a link-up from midfield to attack. Everton now has a variety of options to take games to teams.
Everton’s remaining fixtures see them face teams around them, such as Chelsea, Brentford, Liverpool and Sunderland. These games will be crucial to determine where the Blues finish this season.
Against Burnley, Dwight McNeil received a standing ovation as the winger stood out in the 2-0 victory. The 26-year-old looked lively and energetic while reminding the Toffees of what he can bring going forward.
For Everton’s second goal, McNeil played across a pass to Ndiaye, who found Dewsbury-Hall to wrap up the game for the Blues.
Occupied on the right, McNeil often drifted inside and went on a couple of bursting runs. The winger made five progressive carries and won a foul, which led to the opening goal. Defensively, the former Burnley man impressed as he made 10 recoveries and won three ground duels.
McNeil reminded the Everton faithful of what he can bring to the side.
This season, the level of improvement and performance that James Garner has shown this season has been evident. The midfielder scored in Everton’s 2-0 victory over Brighton with a strike from distance.
Since then, the 24-year-old signed a new contract with the Blues, and his versatility has been utilised as he’s impressed playing at right-back and left-back. The former Manchester United player has scored two goals and four assists for Everton.
Against Burnley, Garner was everywhere for the Blues as he made the most tackles with seven and created the most chances with five. Garner got an assist for Everton’s opener as his free-kick reached the head of Tarkowski to fire in.
It was a combative display from Garner, but he also showed his qualities on the ball as he made the most passes and had the most touches.