Everton kept their hopes of an 8th place Premier League finish alive with a 2-0 win over Burnley on Friday night at Goodison Park.
The Toffees started brightly and went ahead when a Ben Mee deflection took Richarlison’s effort past Tom Heaton.
And Marco Silva’s men doubled their lead moments later when Seamus Coleman headed home from close range after Heaton parried Lucas Digne’s swerving strike.
The Clarets thought they had pulled one back before the break when Ashley Barnes beat Jordan Pickford with an emphatic volley, but the striker was correctly ruled offside.
Ademola Lookman almost made it three midway through the second half, but the forward’s speculative effort from distance rattled the bar.
Substitute Matej Vydra had a strong shout for a penalty turned down by referee Chris Kavanagh after going down under ex-Burnley defender Michael Keane’s challenge, but the Toffees prevailed to record an important victory in the concluding stages of a testing first season under Silva.
Everton hit form but the clock runs out
The result puts Everton four points behind seventh-placed Wolves, who prevailed 1-0 victors over relegated Fulham on Saturday.
Depending on the result of the upcoming FA Cup final between Manchester City and Watford, a top seven finish could’ve been enough to secure Europa League football next season, but the unattainable four-point gap will represent a blow to the Toffees who have started to hit form, just not soon enough.
The recent upturn in performances and results will provide the Goodison hierarchy with a sense of redemption and relief in their appointment of Silva, with the upcoming campaign now a season of pivotal importance in Portuguese manager’s tenure.
Burnley’s slow start proves costly
Burnley were slow out of the blocks and Everton made them pay during a ruthless three-minute spell in the first half.
Sean Dyche’s men are known for their defensive stability but gave away a couple of soft goals in uncharacteristic fashion.
But these lapses in concentration are understandable given the length of their season, which started back in July in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
Should Matej Vydra have had a penalty?
Matej Vydra felt hard done by when he didn’t get a penalty after going down under contact from Keane.
A penalty at that stage could have had a big impact on the result, with Burnley putting on the pressure in search of a way back into the game.
The defender seemed to make a clumsy challenge but avoided any consequences. Keane has found his form in recent months after a difficult first season at Goodison Park, and this incident was a rare error in an otherwise solid performance.
Was Ashley Westwood fortunate to escape a red card?
Midfielder Ashley Westwood was given a yellow card for a tackle on Morgan Schneiderlin that left the Frenchman with a nasty cut on his leg.
The former Aston Villa man was arguably lucky to escape a more serious punishment, with some suggesting Schneiderlin’s lack of reaction saved him.
The incident took place during the first half and playing such a long period of the game with ten men could have seen Burnley suffer a repeat of their 5-1 thrashing in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.
