Everton beat Arsenal on Saturday to affect both the Premier League title race and the relegation battle.
The win was the Merseyside club’s first in a league game since October. By contrast, the Gunners suffered defeat in the top flight for the second time this season.
The Toffees were significantly better that day compared to their recent performances under Frank Lampard. Lampard was ousted as the team’s head coach after a 2–0 loss to West Ham.
Former Burnley boss Sean Dyche was then brought in to help right the ship.
Dyche, with the help of some of his former players, gave Everton fans something to cheer for against a tough team. James Tarkowski, who spent six and a half seasons with Dyche at Burnley, scored the only goal of the game.
After the long-awaited victory, the center-back hoped that Saturday could be a turning point for the current campaign.
Tarkowski says the team showed the fans some determination
“It has been hard for us and for the fans and for the entire squad of the club”, stated the goalscorer after the game. “Hopefully this is the turning point for the club, there is a lot of talent here.”
“It’s taken me a while, I need to score more. What a great time to do it and what a great day. We return to work on Monday and move on. Sometimes we have lacked a bit of guts and that is what the fans want. We’ve seen what it’s about today.”
The coach applauds the mentality of the team after the victory
Dyche also spoke to NBC Sports after the game and praised his new team’s mentality. “You want a performance.
That’s the first thing,” Dyche said. “And I thought there was a performance there. It was a performance that showed the correct application of what we have to do.”
“The basic principles of what we need to do and then some quality moments on top of that. We still think there’s more to come, but it was their mindset tonight. I thought it was excellent.”
The victory takes Everton out of the relegation zone for the time being. They jumped to 17th place, one point ahead of Wolves and Bournemouth. However, both teams still have to play this weekend.
However, Dyche and his new club are in for a tough Merseyside derby against Liverpool.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/PA Images
