Carlo Ancelotti says Everton are concentrating on eradicating the mistakes which cost his team their unbeaten start to the season – and want to finish this weekend top of the Premier League table.

Everton visit Newcastle United on Sunday knowing victory at St James’ Park is likely to keep them at the division's summit.

Manager Ancelotti’s side won four and drew one of their opening five league matches before losing at Southampton last week.

Newcastle, for their part, have eight points and scored late to claim an impressive draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

“It was not a good day against Southampton but we have moved forward and are preparing well for this game,” said Ancelotti, who ruled James Rodriguez out of Everton’s trip to the North East.

“It is an important match, we want to stay at the top of the table, if this is possible.

“To play against Newcastle is always difficult, they had good results in the past few games.

“But we are focused, the spirit is good and we have confidence for the game.

“We have to be focused on the opposition team, of course, we have to ty to find the weakness of the team.

“But, most of the time, we have to be focused on ourselves.

“We are preparing [with a mind to] avoid the mistakes we made against Southampton.

“After that, we will take into consideration that in their last game Newcastle played really well, they are really strong defensively and really well organised.

“We have to take care of this – but we are more focused on ourselves.”

Ancelotti named the same starting XI for four of Everton’s opening five league matches.

He was forced into a reshuffle for the game at Southampton and must again compensate for the absence of a handful of players this weekend.

Lucas Digne is serving a one-match ban and Richarlison sits out the second fixture of this three-game suspension.

Captain Seamus Coleman remains sidelined by injury, with James poised to miss out in the Premier League for the first time this season.

Opportunity could knock, then, for Anthony Gordon, the teenage forward who made his first top-flight appearance this term when he stepped off the bench against Southampton.

Asked about the youngster's chances of adding to his 16 first-team outings, Ancelotti said: “The fact we have players out – it is important to know the quality of the squad.

“There is an opportunity for other players to play and show their quality to help the team stay at the top.

“Anthony Gordon has the same possibility to play as the other players in the squad.

“I have to nominate the first XI and I say to the players all the time, 'It is not important to be in the first XI. It is important to be involved, to play.

"It doesn’t matter if I play from the beginning or in the second half, the target is to help the team in the minutes I play.

“'If I play five minutes, I have to help the team in those five minutes'.

“This is what really matters, not to be in the first XI.

“For sure, I am not going to finish with this first XI, it never happened that I started with XI and finished with XI.

“I am used to using all three substitutions.”

Ancelotti, talking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, insisted Everton’s bright start reflects a competitive Premier League, with an increasing number of teams harbouring ambitions to vie for the highest positions.

Aston Villa, Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton all occupy top-six spots, with Crystal Palace and Wolves on the coat-tails of those teams.

In order to try to keep Everton among the leading pack, the Italian manager has burrowed down to “little details” with his players in training this week.

While Ancelotti’s team attempt to transfer their work to the pitch at Newcastle, Everton Women will be taking on Manchester City in the 2019/20 FA Cup final at Wembley.

“Everyone in the Club is really excited for this final,” declared Ancelotti.

“It is a great opportunity for the women’s team to improve the history of this club.

“The message I can say to them is, ‘Don’t go to play the final because they already achieved this – go to win the final’.”

Returning to his own side’s fixture, Ancelotti added: “We have to be more focused on the little details, more concentrated in certain situations.

“We have to be focused on what we have prepared for Newcastle.

“At the start of the season, there were a lot of strange results, which means there is more competitiveness in the Premier League.

“This is good for the league, it is important and it is good the smaller teams on paper have more ambition.”