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Silva praises Blues’ character after Burnley drubbing

Blues boss felt his side reacted perfectly after Spurs embarrassment, and lauded two-goal Lucas Digne

Burnley FC v Everton FC - Premier League
Marco Silva led Everton to their biggest away league win since September 1985
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Everton manager Marco Silva praised his players’ response to end their poorest run of the season with a 5-1 away win at Burnley.

The Blues arrived at Turf Moor without a victory in five league games, and on the back of Sunday’s 6-2 embarrassment against Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park.

But Silva’s side took the first step to recovery from a difficult month with their trouncing of the Clarets on Boxing Day, and speaking to BBC Sport post-match, the boss said:

“The first thing I’d like to say is this is for our fans and our players.

”The fans welcomed our players before the match, which is fantastic after a tough result on Sunday. And the players as well, they deserve this.

”It was a good win for us and now is the moment to rest and prepare for the other quick games.”

Many questioned the mentality of an Everton side who caved horribly after Spurs equalised on Sunday, but today the Blues held off a difficult spell at the end of the first half after Burnley reduced to deficit to 3-1.

Silva added that he felt his side answered these critics, and was impressed with their resilience shown at Turf Moor:

”I think the best solution to the last result was to play as quickly as you can, luckily for us we played after three days.

”They showed they are here to fight, to compete and to show the ambition we have as a club.”

It was a generally excellent team performance from Everton against the Clarets, but left-back Lucas Digne will doubtless take the headlines from his brace, the first a free-kick and the second an unstoppable long-range drive.

Burnley FC v Everton FC - Premier League
Digne’s long-ranger restored Everton’s three-goal lead
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

The £20 million summer signing from Barcelona has settled in excellently to life in the Premier League, and Silva did not go without commending the Frenchman’s start to his time on Merseyside after today’s game:

“I think the credit has to go to all the squad and not just one or two, but of course Lucas Digne has done well and settled.

“We never had any doubts about his quality or his attitude. His left foot is fantastic.”