Blues finally secure a win thanks to Calvert-Lewin's lucky block

Everton 1 - 0 Burnley

A critical game in the Premier League relegation battle sees Everton take on Burnley at Goodison Park this afternoon with the home side and fans desperate for them to end this dreadful winless run.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin leads the line after breaking his horrendous goal drought with that powerful spot-kick that beat Dubravka on Tuesday night in Newcastle. André Gomes, Seamus Coleman, James Garner also return to the starting line-up.

Amadou Onana is not risked in this one after having picked up a number of knocks in recent games, while Lewis Dobbin, Dele Alli and Arnaut Danjuma continue to be unavailable through injury or extended recovery, with Dyche reverting to naming two goalkeepers on the bench. 

The visitors kicked off in the breezy sunshine with some head tennis and an early touch for each goalkeeper. Branthwaite looked to release Mykolenko down the left but he was not strong enough. Coleman swung in an early cross but Muric came out strongly to claim it.

McNeil tried to advance but could not get past Berge. Coleman did better on the other side, not finding an Everton shirt though but winning a corner. Young and Muric set to before McNeil's kick, which curled in very close to the far post but no one there to convert it.

O'Shea fouled Calvert-Lewin, McNeil's free-kick again beating everyone, no blue shirt wanting to attack the lofted ball. Docucoure fouled Curen, but that set-piece too flew away for an Everton goal-kick. Garner looked to break but Taylor caught him, this time Gomes looping it long, but an infringement was called on the Blues. 

McNeil fed Doucoure but he played in behind Calvert-Lewin. Branthwaite tackled well in midfield but then strode forward and shot poorly well wide. \Gmes did  well to win a corner, but found the first defender with it on the near post.

On the workaround, Doucoure tried to force something but the goalkeeper stopped it reaching Calvert-Lewin. McNeil and Doucoure tried a move down the left but up went the offside flag. Everton were trying their best to get forward in the first 20 minutes but Burnley were successfully snuffing out everything. SUmmed up by McNeil's drive forward and distant shot, easily blocked. 

There followed the first spell of defensive panic in the Everton area with a couple of shots that needed blocking, that finished with a Burnley corner cleared. Everton attacked again but it ended with a poor ball from Ashley Young. Young then tried to release Calvert-Lewin with a decent all down the right but he too was flagged offside.  

Calvert-Lewin got a good glance on a decent cross in from Mykolenko but Young and Dcucoure conspired to mess up the ensuing half-chance and Burnley came forward again, causing more panic in defence. Tarkowski and Pickford went for the same dangerous ball in from Assignon and fortunately avoided an own-goal but it was nerve-wracking stuff.

Foster and Fofana created a terrible defensive muddle in the Everton area that was fortunately cleared but Everton were living on a knife-edge.  Tarkowski was drawn in to foul ___ outside the corner of the Everton penalty area, the free-kick whipped low over the far angle of Pickford's goal.

Tarkowski's pullback on Odobert drew the game's first yellow card with Everton under the cosh. Tarkowski did well to get his head on the set-piece ball, McNeil and Taylor clashing heads for the aerial ball.  

The play finally moved back up the Burnley end, Young's cross not leading to anything and Everton were soon on the back foot again, Burnley winning another corner. This one was headed thankfully straight at Pickford, when Fofana might have directed it elsewhere. 

Coleman and Odobert had a good tussle for the ball in the corner, aided by Young but eventually signalled as a goal kick. Calvert-Lewin was fouled by Esteve, Gomes not finding a Blue shirt at the far post as Tarkowski got an arm in his face. 

Everton forced a turnover and moved the ball well, Mykolenko crossing in but Docucoure's volley did not come off. Gomes saw yellow for his foul on Odobert.

But out of nothing, Calvert-Lewin blocked Muric's clearance straight back into the Burnley goal! Excellent work by Dominic!  Just what another dreadful half of so-called zombie football needed!

Everton played it forward from the restart, Calvert-Lewin getting fouled wide right. Gomes fired it in too hard and strong for anyone to get to. Mykolenko's cross from the left wasn't much better. 

As Burnley built their fist attack, Branthwaite was in decisively to cut it out. And when they came back, he marshalled Foster harmlessly to the byline for a goalkick. 

Pickford tried to launch a counter with a good throw to McNeil but he was immediately tackled, then the ball forward to Calvert-Lewin found him offside again. Burnley looked to attack again but it was thwarted.

The benefit of Everton's goal was that they now pressed high whenever Burnley tried to play out from the back. 

Branthwaite timed a perfect block on Berge as he forced his way forward, and Everton defended the corner. At the other end, Calvert-Lewin was again gifted a chance, this time by Assignon, but the Everton centre-forward could only drive his poor shot into the goalkeeper's feet. 

Some better movement in the next play saw Young swing over a deep cross but Doucoure seemed to misjudge it. McNeil tried to play Calvert-Lewin into space but he initially hesitated on the wrong side of his marker and was late to react.

Gomes drew a foul in a clash with Cullen, setting up a freekick 30 yards out that Gomes smashed 10 feet over the bar.  O'Shea was forced into a rash challenge on McNeil and, as the last man, he was shown an immediate red card by Michael Oliver. 

Brownhill, on as a sub, spun and fired a very dangerous shot inches over the far angle with Pickford rooted. While at the other end, Everton were again caught offside. 

Calvert-Lewin did well to cut inside with the ball but could not keep his shot on target. Everton looked ragged again as Burley got the ball forward well, Braintwaite again having to lunge at the ball at the expense of a corner. 

Docuocore was left to beat four men but the ball wa played back and around, finally reaching Calvert-Lewin who went far too wide and could only pass it to Muric from a narrow angle. 

Burnley's attacks with 10 men were more threatening than anything so far, with Everton struggling to keep them in check Dyche seemed to get the message but his answer was the much derided Jack Harrison. Meanwhile, Assignon thankfully failed to make contact on a dropping ball for what could have been an embarrassing chance. 

Calvert-Lewin and McNeil lumbered forward slowly, McNeil choosing to scoop his shot past the angle. In another painfully laboured attack, Young could only swing his cross over everyone. 

McNeil tried to reach Beto with a good cross but a defender got in at the crucial moment to deny him. Harrison played a hard low cross into Young who could not control it.

Beto appeared to get ahead of Berge with the ball and was bearing in on goal but pushed it to his right and then was pushed down by Berge but no foul, said Michael Oliver. Berge's next grapple of Beto saw him shown a yellow before 5 minutes were added on. 

Try as they might, Everto just could not get forward strongly enough to score, while Burnley knew they could cause chaos in the counter. Beto was again given a chance to run forward but was easily marshalled off the ball by the defenders. 

Garner was clearly fouled the edge of the Burnley area but no protests, no claims for a clear penalty, and of course no VAR review. Burnley scampered up the other end and Coleman was forced to give away a late corner that was thankfully cleared and Everton stumbled their way to a massive 3-points thanks to that Calvert-Lewin goal. 

Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Tarkowski [Y:33'], Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gomes [Y:45'], Garner, Young (83' Harrison), Doucoure, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin (83' Beto).

Subs: Virginia, Lonergan, Patterson, Keane, Godfrey. Chermiti, Warrington.

Burnley: Muric, Assignon (83' Jay Rodriguez), Esteve, O’Shea [R:67'], Taylor (84' Zeki Amdouni), Cullen, Berge [Y:90'], Bruun Larsen (69' Brownhill), Odobert (83' Gudmundsson), Fofana (62' Vitinho), Foster.

Subs: Vigouroux, Cork, Benson, Delcroix.

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