Arsenal win 'could be turning point' for 'talented' Everton
By Chris Smith
Everton defender James Tarkowski believes Saturday's shock win over Arsenal could be the spark they've been looking for in the Premier League relegation battle.
The two-time England international headed home the only goal of the game as the Toffees beat the league leaders at Goodison Park - their first victory in any competition since October 22 - in Sean Dyche's first match in charge.
It was a much-needed boost for Everton, who remain in the bottom three despite the victory, but can now start looking up the table and planning their route to safety.
"What an atmosphere. It’s been a few months since it felt like this. Fair play to the fans, it’s been tough times, a change in management and we’ll all have to buy into it straight away. I think you can see the way we performed today, excellent," Tarkowski told BT Sport immediately after the final whistle at Goodison Park.
He added: "But we have to continue that. It has been tough for all of us, all our fans and the staff in the club, but hopefully this is the turning point in this season because there’s a lot of talent in there, we get our heads on and crack on, onto next week."
Arguably the biggest standout in Everton's performance was their tenacity without the ball and willingness to put in the hard yards and fight for every loose ball.
The Toffees have shown plenty of ability on the ball this season despite lacking cutting edge in the final third. But once possession has broken down or the opposition takes control of the game, their weak underbelly has been exposed time and again.
But on Saturday, Everton never gave Arsenal a second and outfought them in every department, coming out on top in a number of key metrics including tackles, interceptions, clearances and aerial duels won.
It was exactly the sort of fight and desire Evertonians have been craving and the minimum expectation of the team under Dyche.
From Tarkowski to winger and former Burnley teammate Dwight McNeil, every single player in royal blue showed up in the manner it's going to take to keep Everton in the Premier League.
"I think that’s the thing we’ve lacked this season. We’ve not lacked technical ability, we’ve just lacked that little bit of grit at times and that’s what the fans want to see," said Tarkowski.
"We’ve got to show it every week, and today we did and put in a great performance against the best team in the league currently. Pleased, and I thought this lad [McNeil] was terrific, he’s come in, been in and out the team, but we’ve seen what he’s all about."