Everton vs Burnley. Premier League.
Goodison ParkAttendance39,177.
Report and highlights as Toffees continue unbeaten run since Marco Silva's departure
Thursday 26 December 2019 20:01, UK
Carlo Ancelotti started his reign at Everton with a battling 1-0 win over Burnley after Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted 10 minutes from time with a superb header.
The Toffees have yet to taste defeat since the sacking of Marco Silva, with Ancelotti using the momentum of Duncan Ferguson's tenure to get over the line in this scrappy encounter.
The game looked to be drifting towards a 0-0 draw with Nick Pope almost faultless in the Burnley goal, and it took a spectacular diving header from Calvert-Lewin to beat him (80) following a Djibril Sidibe cross.
Sean Dyche's men failed to register a shot on target during the game and did not even test Jordan Pickford's goal after falling behind.
Ferguson had got Everton moving in the right direction with positive performances against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal but this was a different prospect against defensive-minded Burnley.
Ancelotti went with a 4-4-2 in his first game but chances were at a premium in the opening 45 minutes as Everton did not make use of their 75 per cent possession.
Mason Holgate called Pope into action on seven minutes as he made a brilliant point-blank save following a Yerry Mina knock-down.
Burnley offered little in the final third but Chris Wood wasted a clear opening minutes later when he headed over Ashley Westwood's free-kick.
Gylfi Sigurdsson's delivery from set-pieces seemed to be Everton's best route to goal but Ben Mee and James Tarkowski were exemplary at defending his excellent quality.
Seamus Coleman summed up the home side's frustration when ballooning an effort into the stands from 35 yards as Burnley's tactic of stifling the Toffees seemed to be paying off.
It looked set to be one of those days for Everton with Ancelotti's side seemingly out of ideas, but Sidibe attacked down the right and curled in a ferocious delivery that was met by an equally ferocious diving header from Calvert-Lewin. The ball skidded off the wet turf and past Pope via the inside of the post.
It was far from vintage from Everton but Ancelotti certainly has something to work with.
Ancelotti will have learnt plenty seeing his new team up close but perhaps the most impressive area of Everton's play was Sigurdsson's classy passing. Of the 33 crosses Everton put into the Burnley box, Sigurdsson sent 17 of those in with four of those defined as key passes by Opta. It was only the defensive masterclass on show from Mee and Tarkowski that denied the midfielder a much-deserved assist.
Analysis from Lewis Jones:
There were interested eyes on Carlo Ancelotti's teamsheet when it dropped at 2pm. Would he throw in any tactical surprises or keep things simple in order to build on the momentum gained from Ferguson's switch to a more rough and ready 4-4-2? In truth, the Italian did a bit of both.
On paper it seemed Ancelotti would be setting up in a 4-4-2 with Coleman and Sidibe linking down the right and that was the case when Everton were out of possession, very much similar to when they stifled Manchester United. However, Ancelotti did tweak the system when in possession with Coleman switching to the right side of a back three in order for Lucas Digne to get down the left flank which moved Bernard inside.
That ploy did allow the Brazilian to cause Burnley problems in the pocket although his final pass or finish was lacking against a stubborn Burnley brick wall. That was a common theme throughout in terms of Everton's quality in the final third and this result was a fine example of how fine the lines are in football. Calvert-Lewin's winner, which was created out of nothing, didn't look coming but his powerful headed effort means Ancelotti starts his reign showered in positivity. Bigger challenges lie in wait.
Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti: "Today, for me, was really special. The reception was fantastic here at Goodison Park. The atmosphere of the Premier League does not change. It was a special day, absolutely.
"We deserved to win. We were a little bit slow from the back in the first half - not so efficient on the counter-attack. In the end, the performance was good. Not the top [it could be] but a good performance.
"To have a clean sheet was good. It was important. All the team was good defensively."
Burnley boss Sean Dyche: "We are more frustrated than disappointed, because the game was heading towards a 0-0 and we'd have taken that today, with all that was going on at Everton.
"I don't normally like to take a 0-0, but I would have, but unfortunately it's gone away from us following a mistake.
"It was a game plan by design. We thought there might be a reaction to the new manager and that we'd have to absorb the game, especially in the first half I thought we did that quite well."
Everton are back in action on Saturday with a trip to Newcastle, while Burnley host Manchester United.
