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Premier League | Gameweek 4
Sep 13, 2021 at 8pm UK
Goodison Park
BL

Everton
3 - 1
Burnley

Keane (60'), Townsend (65'), Gray (66')
Townsend (53')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Mee (53')
Brownhill (47')

Andros Townsend's stunner keeps Everton flying under Rafael Benitez

:Headline: Andros Townsend's stunner keeps Everton flying under Rafael Benitez:
Ben Mee had given Burnley the lead but Michael Keane, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray struck back for the Toffees in a pulsating second half.
Sports Mole

Rafael Benitez's golden touch as new Everton manager continued as his side produced a remarkable comeback with three goals inside seven minutes to beat Burnley 3-1 at Goodison Park.

While the Spaniard's two predecessors Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti struggled, and ultimately failed, to instil a spirit into the side which prevented them winning league matches from losing positions, the former Liverpool boss has done it twice in his first two home games.

But even a man who oversaw the miracle of Istanbul in the 2005 Champions League final would have had difficulty envisioning the method of this turnaround as his side looked battered and beaten after Ben Mee marked his 200th Premier League appearance with the opening goal in the 53rd minute.

However, within the space of 379 seconds – which included a tactical substitution and formation change – the hosts turned the match on its head via a Michael Keane header against his former club, a stunner from Andros Townsend and a clinical one-on-one from fellow new arrival Demarai Gray.

Everton manager Rafael Benitez and Abdoulaye Doucoure (Martin Rickett/PA)

And all this was achieved without last season's leading scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is likely to be out for at least two to three weeks with a broken toe and thigh injury.

Achieving one come-from-behind win, at home to Southampton on the opening day of the season, after all their previous problems might be considered fortunate.

To do it twice in successive matches points to something else; an engendering of resolve and resilience to dig deeper and fight for the shirt – something the Goodison faithful have felt has been missing for some time.

Abdoulaye Doucoure was at the heart of Everton's best moments but the two new arrivals Townsend and Gray, brought in for a combined £1.7million in a bargain-buy summer transfer window, added a thrust and drive which has been lacking from the team's widemen in previous years.

Townsend's goal was a strike of beauty, latching onto Doucoure's pass to whip a shot over Nick Pope. Gray's one-on-one finish was cool as you like and had the old ground rocking where, moments earlier, it had been groaning.

An attritional first half by Burnley had the desired effect of wearing their hosts down, although the Clarets could have been ahead before half-time with better finishing.

Uncharacteristically it was their aerial strength which let them down as Chris Wood failed to get enough of a head on an early Dwight McNeil cross and Mee nodded wide from a corner, while Josh Brownhill shot straight at Jordan Pickford.

Calvert-Lewin's absence became increasingly noticeable as utilising Richarlison as a central striker against Mee and James Tarkowski just did not work with Everton's tactics built around getting the ball forward quickly.

Ben Mee nodded home the opening goal (Martin Rickett/PA)

Doucoure produced the first genuine save of the game when he ran onto Townsend's pass to force Pope to punch away but it was a rare foray into the penalty area and it was no surprise when Burnley took the lead just after half-time.

Everton failed to deal with McNeil's free-kick and then Johann Berg Gudmundsson's subsequent cross as Mee ran through a crowd of blue shirts to head home from close range.

But their fighting spirit eventually emerged in a crazy period kicked off by Keane powerfully flicking home a near-post header from Townsend's cross.

Benitez immediately made a change to 4-3-3, withdrawing centre-back Ben Godfrey for midfielder Andre Gomes, and the match changed in an instant.

Andros Townsend celebrates scoring Everton's second goal (Martin Rickett/PA)

Doucoure featured heavily as first he picked out Townsend from the halfway line and the winger cut inside onto his left foot to lash home a brilliant, looping, dipping shot.

He then sliced Burnley apart with a through-ball to send Gray racing through to make it 3-1 and the Frenchman was only denied a deserved goal himself by an offside flag as Everton ran riot.

Another vicious Townsend attempt from distance was batted away by Pope while Gomes' excuse for missing the target with a clear sight of goal can only have been over-excitement.

It is four matches unbeaten now for Benitez and victory lifted Everton into fourth but level on 10 points with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
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