Everton’s battle against relegation has taken a shock twist, following the news that Burnley have sacked Sean Dyche. The former Clarets boss had been in charge at the club for almost a decade before Burnley decided to part company with just eight games of the season remaining.
The Blues currently sit four points above Burnley and the bottom three after their 1-0 victory over Manchester United last weekend. Dyche’s side subsequently had the opportunity to reduce the gap to a single point but fell to a 2-0 defeat to Norwich, in what proved to be the last of his 425 games in charge .
Frank Lampard will hope Everton ’s hard-fought victory over United will inspire his side for some of the tricky fixtures ahead, including a Merseyside derby at Anfield later this month. But how do the Toffees' remaining games compare to their relegation rivals?
READ MORE: Frank Lampard sent Barcelona message at Everton as Farhad Moshiri approach clear
READ MORE: Sean Dyche sacked as Burnley relegation battle with Everton takes new twist
16. Leeds - 33 points (32 matches played)
Leeds have seemingly pulled away from their relegation rivals after winning three of their last four games. Victories over Norwich and Watford have helped new boss Jesse Marsch stave off the threat of being dragged towards the drop zone, though the Yorkshire side have several tough games ahead.
April 25 - Crystal Palace (A)
April 30 - Man City (H)
May 8 - Arsenal (A)
May 11 - Chelsea (H)
May 15 - Brighton (H)
May 22 - Brentford (A)
17. Everton - 28 points (30 matches played)
Last weekend’s win over Manchester United has buoyed Everton’s survival hopes. A combative performance at Goodison helped create a four-point gap between the relegation zone that Sean Dyche’s Burnley failed to close.
Though the Blues face a series of challenging fixtures, Frank Lampard will take encouragement from his side’s most recent performance. While supporters will hope Burnley’s sacking of Dyche has a negative effect on the Clarets.
April 20 - Leicester (H)
April 24 - Liverpool (A)
May 1 - Chelsea (H)
May 7 - Leicester (A)
May 11 - Watford (A)
May 15 - Brentford (H)
18. Burnley - 24 points (30 matches played)
In a bizarre turn of events, it was not long ago that Burnley appeared primed to leap above Everton after their 3-2 victory at Turf Moor earlier this month. Dyche appeared to be in a confident mood, with just one point separating his side from safety.
However, after the team’s 2-0 defeat to Norwich, the club took the controversial decision to sack Dyche , as well as several members of his coaching staff, with eight games left of the season. It brings to an end Dyche’s almost decade-long tenure at the Lancashire club.
April 17 - West Ham (A)
April 21 - Southampton (H)
April 24 - Wolves (H)
April 30 - Watford (A)
May 7 - Aston Villa (H)
May 15 - Tottenham (A)
19. Watford - 22 points (31 matches played)
Roy Hodgson’s side were dealt a significant blow after their 3-0 defeat to Leeds last weekend. However, despite having Manchester City and Leicester still to play, the Hornets will not have given up on their survival hopes, with important games against Burnley and the Blues still to come.
April 16 - Brentford (H)
April 23 - Man City (A)
April 30 - Burnley (H)
May 7 - Crystal Palace (A)
May 11 - Everton (H)
May 15 - Leicester (H)
20. Norwich - 21 points ( 31 matches played)
At least seven points adrift of safety, Norwich did at least give themselves a slight chance with their recent win over Burnley. Dean Smith’s side will have to hope for plenty of shock results if the Canaries are to pull off what would be a remarkable great escape.
April 16 - Man United (A)
April 23 - Newcastle (H)
April 30 - Aston Villa (A)
May 7 - West Ham (H)
May 11 - Leicester (A)
May 15 - Wolves (A)
