SEAN Dyche is targeting another big scalp tonight as his Everton side face Liverpool at Anfield, just over a week after masterminding a 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The former Burnley boss produced the stunning upset in his first match in charge after replacing Frank Lampard, and he is looking to maintain the excellent levels of performance during tonight’s 242nd Merseyside derby against Everton’s local rivals.
Dyche warned his players, including Nigeria international Alex Iwobi, to avoid complacency during the historic fixture against a struggling Liverpool side.
“We’re really looking for a performance. Last weekend, it was fantastic to get a win, but I was really looking for a reaction and a performance, and I think we’re still laying that down,” Dyche told his pre-match press conference over the weekend.
“We need to give another good performance on the back of one last week.
“There’s plenty of belief in what we do but it’s important to take action. When the whistle blows you’ve got to take action, and you’ve got to perform.”
Dyche emphasised the importance of not getting carried away with the Arsenal result as Everton battle to avoid relegation.
“The last one doesn’t guarantee the next one. I’ve been saying that for years,” the 51-year-old Englishman noted.
“There’s been a lot of detail going into this week, a lot of planning going into this week, but the players are aware. We’ve got to go again, and that’s going to be the constant mentality throughout the rest of the season.”
On the magnitude of the Merseyside derby, Dyche added: “The city comes together for a massive game.
“It’s a bigger version of all derbies, but I’m looking forward to it because of the size of it. I grew up during the ’70s and ’80s knowing about the game and knowing about historical games between the two teams.
“But my key marker is performance levels, and parking the noise around the game. That’s our job. We must focus on the performance and not letting anything affect our build-up and planning.”
When questioned about whether there could be a better time to play Liverpool, Dyche responded: “You can’t guarantee that. It’s a derby game so we know the form goes out the window.”
The last time Everton beat Liverpool was in February 2021 and their first meeting this season at Goodison Park in September ended 0-0.
Everton need a win tonight to move out of the relegation zone, while victory for Liverpool would see them climb above Chelsea into ninth spot.
