Everton returned to Goodison Park after three away games on the trot with a Monday night clash against Burnley. Their defensive opponents did their best to suck the life out of a packed Goodison Park crowd revelling under the lights, and indeed had the pick of the chances in the first half as the Toffees struggled to move the ball fluently in their unfamiliar 3-4-3 formation.
The visitors drew first blood in the second half, a header resulting from a setpiece (of course) but all it did was galvanize Rafa Benitez’s men to come back with a spell of scintillating football that was marked with three goals and almost as many more as Everton started stroking the ball around with supreme easy while the Clarets chased shadows.
A superb cross from Andros Townsend saw Michael Keane head home at the near post to level matters, and then Townsend went one better with a curving, dipping shot into the far corner from a good thirty yards to put the hosts ahead. With the stadium rocking, Abdoulaye Doucoure threaded a long eye-of-the-needle pass for a streaking Demarai Gray to finish with aplomb and settle the three points, all in the matter of seven minutes after the hour mark.
The 3-1 win sees the Toffees up to fourth in the table and emulating the unbeaten start to last season so far.