“I’m not sure these know how to win a game, lads,” Sean Dyche said to his Burnley players at halftime on Wednesday, referring to Everton. “Away from home particularly.”
It was a bold gambit given his own side had, at that point, won only three games all season, but it worked. Burnley came from 2–1 down to win 3–2 thanks to an 85th-minute Maxwel Cornet goal. With nine games this season remaining for both, Burnley now trails Everton by a single point for 17th place in the Premier League and the safety that comes with it. If reality had not quite dawned before defeat at Turf Moor, it certainly has now: Everton is in serious danger of being relegated for the first time since it returned to the top flight in 1954.
Watford is only two points behind Burnley, having played a game more, and it’s still possible that Leeds, which plays Watford this weekend, could get dragged into the battle. Realistically, Norwich probably has too much to do, so it’s two clubs from three, or possibly four, to join the Canaries in being relegated. And for Everton that could be devastating.
