CHRIS WOOD RETURNED from injury with a winning goal, the striker heading in to secure a 2-1 comeback victory for Burnley at home to 10-man Everton on Saturday.
Cenk Tosun’s first Premier League goal had put Everton ahead, but the Toffees collapsed to a fifth successive away defeat in the league.
Ashley Barnes scored for the second Premier League game in a row to level after the interval, beating the otherwise impressive Jordan Pickford at his near post.
And half-time substitute Wood came up with the winner, ensuring Sean Dyche’s men marked his 250th game in charge with a victory, their first in any competition since December.
Wood was featuring for the first time in 2018 and he headed in a Johann Gudmundsson corner to complete the comeback.
A disappointing afternoon for Everton worsened late on when centre-back Ashley Williams was sent off for elbowing Barnes, the Wales international now facing a suspension with Sam Allardyce’s men still having work to do to make absolutely sure of safety.
Gudmundsson’s deflected strike was saved by Pickford as the Clarets made a bright start.
Everton should have taken the lead after 14 minutes, Theo Walcott blazing over the crossbar after Gylfi Sigurdsson’s sharp cutback found him eight yards out.
The deadlock was broken five minutes later though, Tosun opening his Everton account.
Walcott’s cross from the right was flicked on cleverly by Seamus Coleman – making his 250th Toffees appearance – with Tosun left unmarked eight yards out to beat Nick Pope with a simple header.
Pope denied Tosun and then saved from Walcott as Everton cut Burnley open with a rapid break.
Chances continued to come with Barnes forcing a fine fingertip save from Pickford, the striker prematurely celebrating after thinking his header from a Matt Lowton cross was in.
Dyche sent on Wood at the break, and Burnley then forced two great saves from Pickford.
The goalkeeper dived low to his left to turn Aaron Lennon’s drive around the post, before tipping over Ben Mee’s header from the resulting Gudmundsson corner.
And Burnley’s pressure eventually told, Barnes equalising after 55 minutes.
Lowton’s superb throughball sent Barnes racing away from former Burnley defender Michael Keane and he confidently beat Pickford at his near post from close range.
Pickford denied Barnes a carbon-copy of his goal, Lowton having sent the striker clear again, before Everton substitute Oumar Niasse hit a volley well over the crossbar.
Sigurdsson could have snatched all three points for Everton after brilliantly turning James Tarkowski, but the Iceland international lacked composure with his finish and fired wide.
And that miss proved pivotal as Wood held off his marker to nod home Gudmundsson’s corner to end a long wait for a Burnley win, with Williams’ late red compounding the misery for Allardyce’s side.
Everton have conceded 30 away goals this season for the first time since 2004/2005, and have won just one of their last 23 games on their travels. Burnely’s win – which brings them to 40 points in sixth place – was their first under Dyche in the Premier League in which they turned around a deficit.
Incredibly, despite not winning in their past 12 games, the Clarets are now just five points behind sixth-placed Arsenal, albeit having played a game more.
- Omni
