Sean Dyche told Burnley players Everton ‘don’t know how to win’ to inspire Turf Moor comeback in survival fight | Football News

Sean Dyche revealed he told his Burnley players Everton “don’t know how to win” as they plotted their comeback to inflict a seventh defeat in 10 games on the Toffees.

Burnley trailed 2-1 at the break courtesy of a pair of Richarlison penalties and Dyche’s dressing-room message to his players was clear – to take advantage of the visitors’ leaky defence and low confidence after a punishing run of away form.

Everton have not won a Premier League game on the road since August but looked like breaking that eight-month record until Jay Rodriguez and Maxwel Cornet struck in the second half to give Burnley a late victory. It puts them a point off safety and gives the Toffees the same cushion outside the bottom three.

Dyche told Sky Sports: “I’ve been down there, I know what it’s like and every season there have been tough patches for us. It’s hard to explain, but sometimes you sense that a team might have lost how to win a game. I said to them at half time ‘I’m not sure these know how to win a game, away from home particularly’.

“I told them we’ve got to play on that mentality – we do it by playing forward with better quality and being more aggressive in our play. Our passing and trying to get into the front areas of the pitch wasn’t glorious but there were patches and enough patches where we found three goals and I’m pleased with that.

“I think they had taken six points from 42 away from home before this game and conceded 49 over the season so far, so we felt there might be that edge that we could attack them maybe, possibly more freely. I don’t think it was free-flowing, but we had moments that counted, of course, and I reminded them of that at half-time.”

Lampard: We’re no different to other relegation battlers

Everton boss Frank Lampard said his side should have seen out victory after holding a half-time lead, before adding that the Toffees were in a genuine “battle” to avoid the drop.

Addressing the idea that there was more pressure on Everton than their relegation rivals due to the size, history and relative success of the club, he told Sky Sports: “It feels the same to me, whether that’s true, maybe, but it shouldn’t be in absolute football terms. The reality is what it is – we’re not different to Burnley, Watford, Norwich or Leeds. That’s where we’re at as a football club. Players don’t need to listen or read anything other than turning up tomorrow and getting the right results to keep us in this league.

“We can’t control it so there’s no point in delving too much into it, it would’ve been around the club before I was here and will continue until the end of the season. The only thing we can do is to control what we can, which is to work and fight to get the results.

“From 2-1, we should win the game, and by more goals. We’re not clinical enough on the numerous chances, the counter-attacks, and at that point you leave the game open. Then we make mistakes for their goals.

“I’m not sure it matters what it is, but the players have to deal with it. The only way through it is to fight, and keep working. That’s what the players have to do. We are in a battle, if we didn’t know it before, we know it now. We’re still above Burnley in the table, but obviously we’re very disappointed to lose from a winning position.”

‘Perilously close to the doomsday scenario’

Former Everton defender Alan Stubbs told Sky Sports:

“In terms of giving the players a boost and some breathing space, it was a huge game. How damaging it proves, only time will tell. I said prior to the match that it was a game Everton couldn’t afford to lose.

“After getting themselves in a really good position, unfortunately like many other games this season they’ve found a way to lose the game.

“Getting on a run of losing is the same as when you’re winning. You don’t think about it but psychologically when you’re losing, with each game that goes by you start to doubt yourself more and make the wrong decisions.

“That’s what Everton have found themselves in now. For an opposition manager to say at half-time that this team doesn’t know how to win a game of football away from home, that tells you everything you need to know about the state Everton are in.

“They had chances to win and realistically should’ve won the game, but they’ve done this on numerous occasions this season where they’ve not been able to see out games and their defending has been of a really poor standard that has let the opposition back into games.

“It’s quite depressing as an Everton fan when you look at the fixtures – it’s difficult to say where the points are going to come from. Everton have got a result out of nowhere in the past and so it wouldn’t surprise me if on Saturday at home [to Manchester United] they were to get a result.

“But I’m not very hopeful. Brentford at home and Watford away is not going to be easy so you start scratching your head. For Everton to be in this position at this stage of the season is incredible to digest.

“There’s a few fans saying Frank Lampard has got a few decisions wrong, but at the end of the day, these are the same players who have been with the managers before him. It’s not about getting rid of Frank Lampard now.

“It’s about the players trying to do whatever is necessary to get a result and get Everton out of the mess they’re in. Too much blame has been placed on managers but there is so much wrong at Everton right now – from boardroom level right the way through to the pitch.

“The players have got to somehow find enough desire and spirit to get Everton through this season and keep them in the league. It is perilously close to the doomsday scenario. This is the most fearful I’ve ever been as an Everton fan.”

Hinchcliffe: Everton could go down

Former Everton defender and Sky Sports commentator Andy Hinchcliffe said defeat at Turf Moor could have serious repercussions on his old side due to a harder run-in than some of their relegation rivals – starting against Manchester United at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Hinchcliffe said: “Being a former Everton player, I had some good times there, I always believed that they were going to get out of this mess, but the more I see them play, the more I worry that this season, unbelievably, they could go down. Burnley will go into that game against Norwich with incredible belief after winning tonight.

“That’s why Burnley wanted to win tonight, in terms of getting the three points and getting closer to Everton, but also going into that Norwich game. They can maybe relax a little bit more as they have done the job tonight. For Everton, it is the complete reverse; they desperately need something from that game against Man Utd.

“This was a pressurised game, we knew that, but every game from here on in is even more pressurised for both of these teams but actually, more for Everton now because they have got the tougher run-in. It’s going to be a real test of character, I’ve said this all along about Everton.

“I doubt their ability, but in the last few games, I thought they looked like they cared, they looked like they are running around for each other and for Frank Lampard, but if you keep making mistakes and basic defensive errors they make game after game, you really don’t give yourselves a chance.”

Burnley’s remaining fixtures

April 10 – Norwich (a), live on Sky Sports

April 17 – West Ham (a)

April 21 – Southampton (h), live on Sky Sports

April 24 – Wolves (h)

April 30 – Watford (a)

May 7 – Aston Villa (h)

May 15 – Tottenham (a)

May 19 – Aston Villa (a)

May 22 – Newcastle (h)

Everton’s remaining fixtures

April 9 – Man Utd (h)

April 20 – Leicester (h), live on Sky Sports

April 24 – Liverpool (a), live on Sky Sports

May 1 – Chelsea (h), live on Sky Sports

May 7 – Leicester (a)

May 10 – Watford (a)

May 15 – Brentford (h)

May 19 – Crystal Palace (h)

May 22 – Arsenal (a)