Matchwinner James Tarkowski believes Everton showed their passionate fans what they want to be all about under manager Sean Dyche after a 1-0 victory over Arsenal at a rocking Goodison Park.

The Blues deservedly beat the Premier League leaders courtesy of Tarkowski’s first goal for the Club, the defender heading home Dwight McNeil’s corner on the hour mark.

It was exactly what Everton warranted for a positive display full of energy, work-ethic and attacking intent. And Tarkowski called on Blues to keep the energy and togetherness to keep moving in the right direction.

Tarkowski, who joined the Blues in the summer after spending six years working with Dyche at Burnley, said: “It’s about time [I scored]. It’s been a good day for us because it’s been a tough week of training, but it paid off today.

“You saw the work-rate of the players, the energy, and the togetherness. I think the performance was what it’s all about and we showed the fans what we want to be as a team.

“We’ve gone back to basics a little bit. And that doesn’t just mean we lump the ball forward and get around it a little bit. We want to still play football, but it’s also about getting back together as a team, working hard together, and showing that grit and determination we need in this league to get results. 

“I think the fans react to the way we perform, and the desire we show. I understand their frustration because we haven’t been good enough. We’ve managed to turn it around for one game, but it needs to continue. We can’t just think we’ve cracked it now after one win.”

The victory put Everton back in the mix of a congested pack in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Next up for Dyche’s team is the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Monday 13 February. And despite the morale-boosting win against the Gunners, the centre-back insists his teammates cannot get complacent in their bid to keep moving forward.

“It’s a nice start but we won’t get carried away,” said Tarkowski. “I know how this manager works, it’s game by game. It’s a good three points, but there’s a big game coming up next week and that’s where our focus goes to. We can’t get carried away with ourselves. It’s been a tough start to the season but there’s still plenty of games left.  

“We’ve got to keep working hard. We start again next week, and we’ve got a big game against Liverpool. I’m sure we’ll have a tough week of training, and we’ll keep building our levels of fitness up, and come next Monday we’ll be focused again.”