Everton boss Sean Dyche insisted his side never doubted themselves after a thumping 5-1 Premier League victory over Brighton lifted the Toffees two points clear of the relegation zone.
It was Everton’s first away league win in 14 attempts and could not have come at a more opportune time, with just three matches now remaining to secure their top-flight safety.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s strike after 33 seconds laid down what retrospectively ultimately felt like an emphatic opening statement as both he and Dwight McNeil went on to scores braces on either side of the half.
Dyche said: “People will be out there thinking right, OK, there’s life in that team but we’ve never lost sight of that.
“It just reminds the players that their work ethic, their commitment to the cause, their commitment to the group is really important because I know there’s quality.
“I’ve always believed there’s quality. I’ve said it many times, but talking about it doesn’t win you a game. It’s the collective mentality to go and deliver everything you’ve got.
“We were very frustrated not to come away with all three points (against Leicester) but we got a reward for carrying on that mentality in their performances tonight.”
Doucoure netted his second when he volleyed the ball home after 29 minutes before McNeil’s cross further buried Brighton, with it deflecting off Jordan Steele, who had stooped to save but instead felt the ball bounce off the back of his leg and in.
Alexis Mac Allister clawed one back before McNeil’s first but the Brighton burial was not complete until McNeil fired home the visitors’ fifth in the embers of second-half stoppage-time.
Victory meant Dyche’s side are safe for the time being, with league leaders Manchester City up next followed by encounters with Wolves and Bournemouth.
“They’re very high feeling the feel-good factor,” he added. “But it’s only another step. I said that after Arsenal, and sometimes people forget that. There’s three more big steps we’ve got to take.”
Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi, meanwhile, suggested his side’s performance revealed they were not yet ready to go toe-to-toe with the best in the business, though he was unspecific about whether he was looking at England’s top four or more broadly to the other side of the Channel.
It could still be possible for Brighton to secure European football with a seventh-place finish, but De Zerbi’s men would feel more satisfied with a higher position.
He said: “Of course we can lose the game. We can lose against Everton, but I’m disappointed for the first half because it was tough.
“We showed we are not ready yet to compete and to achieve the big target.
“But I am speaking about mentality, not other things, not other parts of football.
“It’s not easy because playing in the last period, three games in a week is difficult if you are not used to playing so many games.
“But if we want to improve, if we want to fix our target higher, we have to improve very fast.”
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Bayer Leverkusen: Alonso's champions roll on
Bayer Leverkusen extended their unbeaten streak as they secured a 5-1 away victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
The result leaves champions Leverkusen at the summit with 84 points, while Frankfurt sit sixth with 45.
Leverkusen's record unbeaten run, meanwhile, has now extended to 48 matches across all competitions.
Xabi Alonso's team opened the scoring through Granit Xhaka's bending strike from outside the box after 12 minutes.
Hugo Ekitike's perfectly timed header restored parity just after the half-hour mark, however.
Leverkusen retook the lead just before half-time through Patrik Schick's towering header.
It was 3-1 in the 58th minute, Exequiel Palacios converting a penalty after Niels Nkounkou pulled Nathan Tella by the shirt.
Jeremie Frimpong added a fourth for the visitors with 13 minutes remaining, tapping in from short distance, before the wing-back played a key role in Leverkusen's fifth, winning a penalty which was put away by Victor Boniface.
Data Debrief: Club history for free-scoring Leverkusen
Leverkusen have now scored 82 goals in this Bundesliga season, a new season record for the Werkself in the top flight.
They also lead the Bundesliga for the most goals from long-distance (11), most goals from set-pieces (23) and most goals in the final 15 minutes of matches (19).
Salah makes Premier League history in Anfield thriller
Mohamed Salah made more Premier League history as he scored and provided an assist in Liverpool's 4-2 win over Tottenham.
Salah, who had a public disagreement with outgoing Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp during last week's 2-2 draw with West Ham, was back at his best as the Reds returned to winning ways on Sunday.
He opened the scoring in the 16th minute at Anfield, where Liverpool cruised into a 4-0 lead before Spurs fought back to make matters interesting late on.
Harvey Elliott curled in Liverpool's fourth goal, having received a pass from Salah, who in the process went into the Premier League's record books.
Salah is the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in three consecutive seasons.
Meanwhile, he is also only the second player to tally 10+ in both in five separate seasons in the competition overall, after Wayne Rooney.
"Mo was absolutely outstanding," Klopp told Sky Sports.
Salah's earlier goal had also seen him draw level with Harry Kane as the highest goalscorer in Premier League matches between Liverpool and Spurs, with nine. He is also squandered a great chance to make it 5-2, before seeing a goal disallowed for offside in stoppage time.
Indeed, the fixture itself is now the highest-scoring one in Premier League history, having overtaken Arsenal v Liverpool.
Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham: Salah shines as Reds swat aside Spurs
Liverpool got back to winning ways with a 4-2 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, though they had to survive a late Spurs push.
Mohamed Salah and Harvey Elliott were the stars, getting a goal and an assist each to help the Reds avoid a third straight home defeat in all competitions.
Andrew Robertson and Cody Gakpo got in on the act as Liverpool cruised into a 4-0 lead, though Richarlison and Son Heung-min scored to make matters interesting, ensuring this fixture became the highest-scoring in Premier League history in the process.
Spurs remain in fifth, seven points below Aston Villa in fourth, while Liverpool are third, five points off leaders Arsenal, though they would need an almighty slip-up from either of the top two to stand a chance of winning the title.
The warning signs were there early from Liverpool, with Guglielmo Vicario smothering Salah’s shot on the line before Cristian Romero cleared Elliott’s follow-up.
Salah grabbed the opener 16 minutes in, latching onto Gakpo’s cross to cushion his 18th goal of the season past Vicario, who got a hand to it.
The Reds’ dominance continued – Luis Diaz tried an acrobatic attempt and Elliott saw a curler saved by Vicario, but Liverpool’s pressure told again before the break.
Vicario got down to Salah’s crisp effort but could only parry it into the path of Robertson, who tucked into an open net on the rebound.
Spurs’ display did not improve after the break, and Gakpo thumped in Elliott’s cross after Emerson Royal was dispossessed.
Elliott capped a fine individual display in the 59th minute, curling a sumptuous shot into the top-left corner, giving Vicario no chance.
Richarlison’s introduction from the bench sparked Spurs into life, as he slotted in his 11th goal of the campaign with 18 minutes remaining.
The Brazil international turned from scorer to provider five minutes later, laying it off for Son to finish.
Salah squandered a great chance to put the contest to bed at the other end, but Alisson denied Richarlison a second – with Joe Gomez preventing Brennan Johnson nodding in the rebound – as Liverpool saw out a morale-boosting win in Jurgen Klopp’s penultimate home game.
Salah back on song
Salah grabbed the headlines last week after a spat with Klopp on the touchline during Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Ham.
But, restored to the starting XI, Salah was back on form on Sunday. He hit the crossbar before he opened the scoring, and then got an assist when he teed up Elliott – that makes him the first player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in three consecutive seasons. He is also only the second player to tally 10+ in both in five separate seasons in the competition overall, after Wayne Rooney.
Salah, who had a goal ruled out for offside late on, has now netted 12 goals against Spurs, only scoring more against Manchester United (14) in all competitions, while he is also the joint-top scorer in Liverpool v Tottenham matches in the Premier League, scoring nine, level with Harry Kane.
Super-sub Richarlison
Spurs, who have lost four league games in a row for the first time since November 2004, were left to rue a dismal showing for the first hour, but would things have been different had Ange Postecoglou used Richarlison from the start?
The former Everton man has been linked with a move away from Spurs this week, but he turned the tide at Anfield, where he has scored three times in the Premier League.
Richarlison’s hold-up play and pass into Son for Spurs’ second was also excellent. That goal from the South Korean was the 191st scored in this fixture in the Premier League, meaning it overtook Arsenal v Liverpool as the fixture with the most goals in the competition’s history.
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