Football: Dramatic Everton defeats Burnley by 3-1 to place 4th in Premiership

Premier League – Goodison Park – Everton 3 (Keane 60′, Townsend 65′, Gray 66′) Burnley 1 (Mee 53′)

By Our Sports Desk

A sizzling burst of three goals in seven second-half minutes rinsed Everton past Burnley and up to fourth in the league, level on points with the three teams above them. Burnley stay 18th, with just one point from their four games.

Burnley were by far the better team in the first 30 minutes, imposing their 4-4-2 on Everton’s 3-4-3 and missing two fine chances to take the lead, Chris Wood failing to connect properly with Dwight McNeil’s tremendous centre, then Josh Brownhill scuffing a shot too close to Jordan Pickford.

After the break, Everton improved, but on 53 minutes went behind, Johann Gudmundsson crossing nicely for Ben Mee to head home. The lead, though, lasted but 10 minutes, another fine cross, this time from Andros Townsend, facilitating another fine header from another centre-back, Keane drawing the home side level.

Five minutes later, Everton scored again, Townsend unleashing a rasper that screeched, shrieked and dipped past Nick Pope, then as soon as play restarted, Abdoulaye Docoure, only just liberated by his team’s switch from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3, sent Demarai Gray in with a fine pass, and the finish was superb.

Burnley did their best to get back into the game and will play worse than this and win – though they are third-bottom, they have more than enough to stay up – while Everton look to be working things out nicely.