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Everton harbour ambitions of bringing European football to Hill Dickinson Stadium next season and a first Premier League win at their new home in seven attempts will increase the optimism. The hosts were effective, rather than magnificent, against a woefully poor Burnley but the result is all that matters.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are the next three visitors to Everton, so goals from James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were essential as they looked to build momentum. It was only Everton’s fifth win in 15 league games since leaving Goodison Park, helping solidify their position in eighth, which could be good enough for continental qualification come the end of the season.
The most notable moment from the first quarter of the match was the Everton kick-off routine. Dewsbury-Hall produced an up and under to put pressure on the Burnley backline, one assumes to promote England’s rugby union match against Fiji at this stadium in July. Kicking for territory was a key part of the Everton plan as they sought to create danger by earning corners and free-kicks.
There was zero entertainment value in the early exchanges, which mainly consisted of Everton contemplating ways of defeating the Burnley low block, only to realise they lacked any creative thought. There were a few corners thrown into the box without success and it was understandable why the atmosphere was completely flat.
It was highly unlikely that a goal would come from open play. Finally there was a quality delivery from Everton, when James Garner swung a free-kick to the back post for the former Claret Tarkowski to head into the corner for his first goal in over a year, thanks to some inept marking. Whether it was deserved was debatable but at least the hosts had shown some intent to go forward, whereas Burnley had no ambition.
Burnley are shackled by Scott Parker’s ultra-conservative football. Infrequent forays into Everton’s half brought little except losing possession. Tarkowski had more to do in the opposition box than his own, showing the bluntness of the Championship-bound Clarets, who are eight points adrift with nine games to play.
It took until first-half injury-time for Martin Dubravka to produce the first save of the match, reacting to a James O’Brien flick from – you’ve guessed it – a Garner free-kick. It was certainly not an opening 45 minutes that Arne Slot would have enjoyed.
There was no newfound purpose from Burnley, instead they did their best to end the ‘contest’ when Bashir Humphreys decided dribbling in his own half was a good idea, only to be dispossessed. Idrissa Gueye ran through but delayed passing to Iliman Ndiaye until he was offside, making the goal null and void. The disallowed effort at least showed that Everton had some hidden spark. It was further displayed when Ndiaye slipped a pass through to Dewsbury-Hall, who calmly dinked the ball over Dubravka. Burnley overturned a three-goal deficit at the weekend against Brentford, only to lose, but even the most optimistic Lancastrian could not have envisaged a comeback here.
Everton were given as much of the ball as they liked as they attempted to add a flourish to a workmanlike performance. Gueye rattled the bar from the edge of the box, while Dewsbury-Hall pinged a free-kick at Dubravka.
Pickford was more of a witness to events rather than a full-blown participant. He will have heard the away end scream “You don’t know what you’re doing” at Parker when he withdrew Hannibal Mejbri, one of the few who still looks committed to this lost cause. The Clarets’ first shot on target came in the 79th minute via a powerless Jaidon Anthony drive, which Pickford fell on. The effort earned derision from both sets of supporters.
Everton had no problems seeing the game out to secure a first triumph here in almost three months. They will not benefit from having such friendly visitors again but they more than got the job done as they try to make the stadium their home.
