Burnley have sacked manager Sean Dyche as the club prepares for an intense relegation battle with Everton in the closing stages of the season.
The Blues find themselves four points ahead of the Clarets and above the relegation zone after what has been a hugely disappointing campaign, firstly under Rafael Benitez before Frank Lampard was appointed in January to steer them away from trouble.
The battle to stay in the Premier League looked to have taken a huge turn earlier this month as the two sides met at Turf Moor.
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MORE REACTION: Updates on the Dyche sacking from our sister site Lancs Live
Despite Everton being 2-1 in front thanks to two Richarlison penalties, they lost 3-2 to give their opponents hope and leave Evertonians hugely disappointed.
However, last week's victory over Manchester United improved the mood at Goodison Park once again - which was then further buoyed by Burnley losing away to bottom-placed Norwich City. That proved to be Dyche's final game in charge of the club.
The boss had been in charge at Burnley since October 2012, taking charge of the club for 425 matches before the surprising announcement regarding his sacking on Friday morning. The Clarets are due to travel to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon, while Everton are not in action this weekend.
A Burnley statement this morning said: "Burnley Football Club can confirm the Club has parted company with manager Sean Dyche, assistant manager Ian Woan, first-team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer."
Chairman Alan Pace added: "Results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status. The process of replacing Sean has begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in due course.”
