Dominic Calvert-Lewin has opened up on the behind-the-scenes conversation he had with James Tarkowski before the defender's assist in Everton's pre-season win over Dynamo Kyiv.
The Blues were victorious in their final warm-up match of the summer on Friday, coming out on top against their Ukrainian opponents thanks to an early header from Calvert-Lewin before new boy Dwight McNeil came off the bench in the second half to grab an impressive double.
The opening goal of the game came from a fantastic long-ball from Everton's first summer signing, Tarkowski, with the centre-back lifting his head up and perfectly picking out the run of Calvert-Lewin before the England international did well to nod the ball into the top corner. And the forward has revealed the goal came from a conversation the pair had before the game.
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Calvert-Lewin told evertontv : "It’s always important for a centre-forward to get on the scoresheet, especially before the season starts to build confidence. It was a great ball from Tarky from the back, something we spoke about in the week, so it was nice to execute that on the day.
"When you know you can get service from different areas of the pitch, it’s a good feeling going into a game. When Tarky is getting on the ball, I know he’s got the quality to find the pass, so I’ve got to make the run."
Calvert-Lewin has now scored in each of his last two appearances at Goodison Park in wildly different circumstances. The 25-year-old finished off the 2021/22 campaign in dramatic fashion with a superb diving header to seal the 3-2 win over Crystal Palace that secured Everton's Premier League status and sparked incredible celebrations inside the ground.
The striker admitted it was a special feeling to get back to the stadium and score an early goal - and he's confident that he and his team-mates have put in a good amount of effort during the summer to set up a strong term ahead.
Calvert-Lewin said: "Coming back to Goodison…the last time I was here it was different so it was a special feeling coming back and scoring early. It’s been a good pre-season so far, I’ve been working hard, getting fit and I’m feeling strong and sharp.
"I’m just raring to go. We’ve another week’s prep for the Chelsea game, when we can fine-tune things. We all know we need to be at the top of our game.
"We’ve got a good group of lads. We mix in the dressing room and it’s a good environment. I think that’s important when you are trying to transfer that on to the pitch. We’ve been a bit up and down with our pre-season games but, generally, we’ve put the work in, we’re all excited and looking forward to starting the season."
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