Everton’s win over Burnley was a much-needed win over Burnley and it added to their already strong record against the bottom seven teams which should help them avoid the drop.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first half goal was enough to edge out Vincent Kompany’s side as they moved four points clear of Luton Town in 18th place. Burnley and Sheffield United look to be cut adrift being seven and 10 points off safety, respectively but Everton still run the risk of being relegated with Luton (25) Nottingham Forest (25) and Brentford (29) all pushing for safety. Crystal Palace are just one point ahead of Everton to round off the bottom seven and Everton sit second in a ‘mini-table’ consisting of all the those teams.
From the eight games that the Toffees have played against their rivals, they’ve won five, drawn two and lost just once – with their sole loss being a nightmare defeat at Goodison Park against Luton. They’ve collected 17 of their 29 points against these sides (a figure that would be higher given their points deduction) and it is likely to be the defining factor in avoiding the drop.
