Calvert-Lewin secures vital Everton win after gifts from 10-man Burnley | first division

Everton's first three-point set in 112 days could be removed of them next week, but the impact of a very fortuitous victory may survive anyway. Sean Dyche's team avoided equaling the club record of 14 games without a win thanks to a gift from Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, and in the process moved Vincent Kompany's team closer to the Championship. He was ugly by design, according to the Everton manager. No one knew if he was joking.

Everton's taste of their first Premier League victory since visiting Burnley in December was largely down to luck and the visitors' tendency to aim both barrels at their own feet. Dominic Calvert-Lewin deflected Muric's delayed clearance into the Burnley net for a crucial match-winning goal, while Dara O'Shea received a straight red card for a foul on Dwight McNeil, ruining their chances of a comeback in a instant. Kompany's fighters managed to make life difficult for Everton, who are expected to suffer a second point deduction of the season for violating the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, but a defense led magnificently by Jarrad Branthwaite held on to a precious result.

Dyche said: “Today's win would leave us with 35 points (if it weren't for the six-point deduction). We only managed 36 in a season's work last season and we have seven games left. It's difficult, we don't know what will come next, but we can control the controllables. It is a very important victory and one more step in the mentality to face the rest of the season.”

The importance of the relegation battle was not lost on anyone, with Goodison suitably tense, but the reason why both teams have worked hard this season was also made abundantly clear. The first 46 minutes of play were a complete failure, lacking quality, incident or any sense of urgency, until Everton made a breakthrough in stoppage time. It was a moment to forget for Muric. The Kosovo international took too long on a routine clearance and gave Calvert-Lewin time to close in. The Everton striker stuck out his right leg hopefully, Muric's shot crashed into it, and the ball went over the goalkeeper and into the empty goal. . It was almost identical to Darwin Núñez's first goal for Liverpool. against Sheffield United on Thursday. For Calvert-Lewin, who ended a streak of 23 games without scoring with his late penalty in Newcastle On Tuesday, it was proof that his luck in front of goal had finally changed.

How Everton needed it. Branthwaite's immaculate defense distinguished him from an ordinary crowd. Dyche deployed a safety-conscious right wing with a combined age of 73 in Séamus Coleman and Ashley Young. The presence of André Gomes in central midfield offered hope of an improvement in Everton's distribution, but it was another difficult watch as long clearances went out of play and Burnley It absorbed the pressure with ease.

“We looked at how well we had played this season and we didn't win,” Dyche said, “so we deliberately tried to play long and hard and play the game as awkward and ugly as possible and get an ugly win and it worked.”

The visitors had produced the most enterprising moments before being left behind. David Fofana should have done better with a near post header from Josh Cullen's corner, but he missed the connection from it straight to Jordan Pickford. They suffered a second self-inflicted setback when O'Shea allowed a Sander Berge pass to get away from him and brought down McNeil as he pounced on the loose ball. The defender was the last man and the Everton The winger was close to the goal, but very far away when he was fouled. “There was a lot of force on the ball and it would have been easy for the goalkeeper to pick it up,” Kompany said. The Burnley boss added: “We frustrated the opposition and built momentum in the game, but the momentum collapsed twice at times through our own fault.”

Muric made up for it with an excellent save from Calvert-Lewin as Everton put in a more aggressive and determined performance in the second half. The winning goal shot wide after crossing the Burnley area, while his replacement, Beto, was unable to take advantage of several counterattacks in the final minutes. Dyche argued that Everton should have been awarded a penalty for a foul on James Garner and Berge should have been sent off for fouling Beto when he was clean. However, the only thing that mattered was victory. Everton finally had one.