Everton manager Marco Silva praised the character of his side after the Toffees’ 2-0 win over Bournemouth secured a first Premier League victory at Goodison Park since November.
England starlet Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored in the 95th minute to add to Kurt Zouma’s header, and end a dire run of form where Everton had taken just three points from their past five league games.
A buoyant Marco Silva praised his players’ personality after the game, rather than focusing on three points, and hopes the scrappy win can spur a hot streak of results.
“I was pleased with the result but more the character and personality the team showed,” Silva said.
“It is like an obligation for us to win again at home – not just because of the three points but after our last four matches at home.
“It was something we had to do and we did, by showing strong character and strong personality on the pitch.”
The win was also Everton’s first clean sheet in ten matches, which Silva hopes can boost the confidence of his creaky defence.
“When you don’t score more goals, the game is always open but when you can achieve a clean sheet and win the match it boosts our confidence as a team,” Silva continued.
The loss condemned Bournemouth to their sixth successive away defeat – their worst run since the 1994-1995 season, having enjoyed such a high-flying start to this year’s campaign.
The Cherries, meanwhile, have won just two of their last 14 games in all competitions and have slipped to 12th in the table. However, Eddie Howe insisted he wasn’t worried about the downturn in form.
“I think when you don’t win, confidence becomes an issue but you wouldn’t know it from the performance,” Howe said.
“You wouldn’t have known, if you were a neutral coming to the game, that we are on a bad run of form.
“I think we have to take a lot of confidence from the performance – obviously not the result – but know that if we play that way again, results will change.”
