Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa handed Everton what could be a potentially hugely significant boost in their fight against relegation by ending Burnley caretaker boss Mike Jackson’s new manager ‘bounce’ with a 3-1 victory at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Former Liverpool captain Gerrard – whose side also triumphed 1-0 at Goodison Park against a Blues team managed by Duncan Ferguson back in January after Rafael Benitez’s sacking – doesn’t have much form for doing Everton favours throughout his career. But his West Midlands outfit could well have swung the pendulum of moment in the battle to remain in the Premier League after bursting the Clarets’ bubble.
Burnley had won just four games all season under their long-serving manager Sean Dyche – including a 3-2 comeback victory over Frank Lampard’s side in his penultimate fixture before being sacked on Good Friday after almost a decade in charge. However, after Scouser Jackson – who previous managerial experience amounts to two shorts spells at Shrewsbury Town and Tranmere Rovers – took charge, the East Lancashire outfit picked up 10 points from his first four matches, a run that put the Blues into the drop zone for the first time this season.
