Jordan Pickford believes Everton face a ‘good test’ after their Merseyside derby defeat.
Wednesday’s loss to Liverpool saw a nine-game unbeaten Premier League run for David Moyes ended in their first outing after the international break.
The Blues face a similarly daunting task in the follow-up to their trip across Stanley Park with a lunchtime showdown against Arsenal on the horizon.
But Pickford feels the meeting with Mikel Arteta’s title challengers at Goodison park on Saturday will allow the dressing room to sharpen its collective mind.
He said: “It’s a good test for us now.
“We were nine unbeaten and it’s about that character now. We’ve tasted defeat against Liverpool, which is never nice for us.
“But it’s about how do we build and get a result at Goodison against Arsenal.
“I never take any game in the Premier League for granted, whether top or bottom of the table you have to be on your A-game as a team.
“I thought we were a little bit off it tonight but the work and resilience was quality from the lads.
“It’s never nice to get beat but I think the fight and the character from all of us was great.
“We didn’t give in, we fought all the way and one goal in it against the league leaders who have only lost one game all season.
“It was a good game and we created a few chances, probably could have created a few more, and our resilience as a team was good.
“We need to build on that because we have a few tough games but that’s what the Premier League is all about, playing really good teams.”