Everton have ideal Sean Dyche blueprint for Premier League safety as statistic emerges, easier said than done
Everton have edged towards Premier League safety once more with a hard-fought win against Nottingham Forest.
Winger Dwight McNeil scored the only goal of the clash at the City Ground on Saturday (2 December) to secure all three points for the Toffees.
They had the chance to rise the rankings with a home test against Manchester United last Sunday (26 November), but the Red Devils eased to a 3-0 win.
That was Everton’s first match since they were handed a 10-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
The immediate punishment saw the Merseyside club drop from 14th place to 19th place in the table, but they have now climbed back a spot to 18th with their recent win.
And in that victory there was a familiar feeling for Sean Dyche, with Everton having now scored first in four of their last five Premier League matches, as per the official Premier League website (2 December).
More importantly for the Toffees, they have never lost when opening the scoring under their current manager, with 10 victories and four draws [official Premier League website, 2 December].
It is by no means a simple blueprint for the club to avoid the dreaded drop to the Championship this season, but it is certainly one that Dyche should be trying to follow at all costs.
The Toffees manager is clearly a master in game management after taking the lead, but continuing the impressive feat in this area is, of course, much easier said than done as the months go on.
In other Everton news, Alan Shearer was stunned by “mad” Toffees footage from their match with Nottingham Forest live on BBC.