Sean Dyche says Everton’s travelling support – of more than 4,000 at Selhurst Park on Thursday night – played a key role in earning a result last time out - and believes the Blues can use a united Goodison Park to their advantage when Aston Villa visit this weekend.

During the 0-0 draw in the FA Cup third round tie against Crystal Palace, Evertonians once again “played their part”, says Dyche, who watched as his side battled to earn a point after being reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Dominic Calvert-Lewin on 79 minutes.

Even after the red card, the Blues managed to limit the hosts to just one shot on target – a long-range effort by Eberechi Eze which forced a crucial save from Joao Virginia in the 98th minute.

Dyche is keen for the Toffees to kickstart the new year with a winning to return to Premier League action. This Sunday sees the Blues feature at Goodison Park for the first time in 2024, when Unai Emery’s high-flying Aston Villa arrive on Merseyside for a 2pm (GMT) kick-off.

Reflecting on the support last time out, Dyche knows the flourishing connection between the fans and his players has been a great benefit to his side.

“[The fans are] united with what’s going on,” he told evertontv after the Palace match. “I think that was clear, and I think [they showed] their mentality to help the lads at the end stage to make sure we didn’t get beat.

“They’re playing their part without a doubt, and we want that to continue. We’ve got to keep playing our part, so there’s that nice connection.

“The mentality of the players, shared by the fans was terrific again. The numbers that come down here on a Thursday night - amazing.”

Everton have already faced Aston Villa twice so far during the 2023/24 campaign. Everton followed a disappointing Premier League away defeat in August by earning a 2-1 Carabao Cup victory when they returned to Villa Park the following month.

Dyche sees that league defeat to Emery’s men, along with the recent loss to Wolves, as ‘blips’ and has been pleased with how his side recovered from both setbacks.

Detailing the mindset required to bounce back from those games, while highlighting the Toffees' response shown through a strong display at Palace, the Everton manager noted the impact of the fresh faces in a tweaked starting line-up at Selhurst Park.

“I did say I felt [the Wolves defeat] was a one-off where we were just bereft on the day,” said Dyche. “We were empty of energy and that was the way it went. Whereas tonight, we looked back on it and took the game on.

“I was pleased with Joao; pleased with (Arnaut) Danjuma coming in – players affecting it. I thought Beto was strong when he came on. The mentality bounced back to where we were before that last result, so I’m very pleased with that.

“[Seamus Coleman] has done well again. He looks fit again; he looks stronger, so I’m pleased with that. There were a lot of good performances again. We’re finding that consistency, and I’ve spoken about it all season.

“Even when results haven’t gone our way and we’ve had a couple of blips – the Villa one and the Wolves one – we’ve come out of that very quickly. The mentality to win today was clearly there.”