A new broom sweeps clean, so they say, and that was certainly the case when it came to Sean Dyche and Everton on Saturday.
The Blues made a mockery of their troubled season with a well organised and ultimately deserved 1-0 home victory against table- toppers Arsenal, who discovered that winning the Premier League could be more difficult task than they have made it look up to now this campaign.
Ex-Burnley man James Tarkowski picked a good time to score his first goal for Everton in what was an afternoon to remember for former Turf Moor boss Dyche and the Goodison faithful.
VERDICT: Everton find new figureheard to send Goodison soaring back to its fiercest best
ANALYSIS: Sean Dyche unlocks 'complete' midfielder as £20m outcast finds new role
And here's a round-up of what the national media made of it all.
BBC Sport - Shamoon Hafez
All the qualities that had been missing from Everton this season were there as they stunned Premier League leaders Arsenal.
There has been a toxic atmosphere at Goodison Park this season. The club have looked odds-on to plummet down to the Championship, ending an unbroken top-flight stay dating back to 1954.
But dark clouds made way for a glimmer of blue sky as Everton claimed a 1-0 victory, a dream start for new manager Sean Dyche.
It was just their fourth league win of the campaign, and their second since 22 October, ending a run of 11 games without a victory in all competitions.
"You cannot guarantee the outcome of any game, especially against the league leaders," said a beaming Dyche. "I wanted a performance. The players have put a lot of respect in the changes we have tried to make but I told them: 'Actions, that is the key'. You clearly saw the response."
The Telegraph - Chris Bascombe
Sean Dyche vowed to take Everton back to the glories of the 1980s. His first day in charge was more reminiscent of Joe Royle’s mid-90s ‘dogs of war’ as they secured the shock result of this Premier League season.
There were 90s echoes all around a belligerent and emotional Goodison Park as Arsenal were beaten for only this second time in the league. In 1994, Royle’s rescue operation began with a towering Duncan Ferguson header from Andy Hinchcliffe’s corner in front of the Gwladys Street stand.
Here it was James Tarkowski meeting Dwight McNeil’s delivery, Arsenal replacing Liverpool as a side faced with a physical and emotional tour de force. With Dyche at the helm, this was a goal handcrafted in Burnley and the hosts feverishly defended their advantage, their young Belgian Amadou Onana in imperious form to overshadow Arsenal’s midfield.
No matter what Everton’s situation, a win at Goodison Park always features high on a title contender’s checklist.
Away success in this stadium demands heart as much as skill, former Everton player Mikel Artera knows as much from personal experience. Under Dyche, the physical and psychological examination already looks several degrees tougher for visitors. That was the broader triumph of his Everton introduction.
The Mail - Dominic King
The day began with a peaceful protest. From the Royal Oak Pub at 1130am, on the corner of County Road, a couple of thousand fans marched up Spellow Lane and circled Goodison Park. The aim, once again, was to vent their disenchantment about Everton’s Board of Directors.
Farhad Moshiri, the major shareholder, Chairman Bill Kenwright and Denise Barrett-Baxendale, the Chief Executive, were fixed firmly in the firing line, with banners urging them to “get out of our club” – none of those named were there to see it, having elected to stay away for Arsenal’s visit.
Their seats in the Directors Box remained empty, the dislocation between the powers-that-be and the people never more evident by the fact that a fixture that carried such importance – the debut of a new manager – passed by without their presence. It was the right decision.
For the day that started with a protest ended with a party. Sometimes it is difficult to put into words the impact of a stadium – it’s only bricks and mortar and seats, after all – but this was one of those afternoons when could not have wished to watch football anywhere else.
Goodison, when the noise is turned up to maximum volume and those inside are unified with a common cause, is magical. Sean Dyche was guaranteed to get a generous ovation but, privately, he must have been blown away by the hurricane the majority of the 39,314 crowd actually produced.
Once they had made their point outside, the unity behind Dyche and his team was apparent. When Everton pressed up the pitch and forced Arsenal’s defenders to make hurried clearances that went out of touch or passes that failed to meet their target, the accompanying roar was guttural.
‘I’ve been here when we played very well at Burnley and there were a few murmurings and there was a bit of heat on the players and been here when it was really rocking,’ said Dyche. ‘I thought it was rocking. That's all I asked for."
The Guardian - Andy Hunter
Everton remembered how to win. A classic case of new manager bounce condemned Arsenal to only a second league defeat of the season while giving Sean Dyche the perfect start to life at Goodison Park. Ferocious, relentless and dangerous, Everton bought into Dyche’s methods on day one to bring light into the darkness of their latest relegation struggle.
The old Burnley connection punished the subdued Premier League leaders and halted their 14-game unbeaten league run. James Tarkowski headed home a Dwight McNeil corner to give their former manager from Turf Moor the foundation he needs to haul his new club towards safety.
Without a league win since October, Everton put in a prodigious shift to prevent Mikel Arteta’s visitors establishing an eight-point lead at the summit. Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucouré, outstanding throughout, sunk to their knees on the final whistle out of pure relief and exhaustion. Dyche had questioned whether Everton knew how to win when orchestrating Burnley’s comeback victory over Frank Lampard’s team last season. Doubts that had resurfaced this season were banished at a racuous, relieved Goodison.
The transformation of Everton was evident immediately. Dyche had preached the merits of hard graft and organisation during his first five days on the training ground. The work, while crammed in, paid off in a tireless performance that contained, disrupted and troubled the leaders. Arsenal dominated possession but there was a distinct lack of quality or precision with it. Their title challenge needs an instant reaction against Brentford next week.
The Independent - Richard Jolly
The only Premier League club not to make a signing in the transfer window may have done some excellent business in January after all. This was the Sean Dyche effect, an auspicious introduction for the new manager, a wonderful start to his rescue mission. Perhaps Everton are not doomed after all. Perhaps Arsenal, after amassing 50 points in the first half of the season, will not cruise to the title.
Because, after eight defeats in nine games, Everton got a first victory since October. After their longest run of losses at Goodison Park since the 1950s, they beat the league leaders. After the protests against the board came the backing for the team. Appointed on Monday, Dyche had his first win on Saturday. Even by Everton’s standards, it has been a remarkable week.
They looked a team transformed. Only Newcastle had stopped Arsenal scoring in the Premier League this season. Only Manchester United had defeated them in the top flight. Everton did both as Arsenal extended the wrong sort of 100 per cent record, They have visited Goodison Park three times under the former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta and lost all. They proved unable to overcome Everton’s intensity, their defiance and their set-piece menace. Dyche’s debut was much Everton’s best day since they stayed up in dramatic fashion against Crystal Palace in May. After their flirtation with Marcelo Bielsa, Everton may have taken the wrong path to get the right man.
One-nil can feel the classic Dyche scoreline and this was a classic Dyche win, built on the values he treasures, forged in the sweat of relentless running. He had put his players through the bleep test on his first day of training and they put in another huge effort.
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