Sean Dyche has claimed his players are firmly at it and raring to produce more displays on par with Saturday’s spirited 1-0 victory over Arsenal.

The boss’ first game played out perfectly as James Tarkowski's powerful header on the hour mark clinched all three points in a passionate performance against the title-chasers who came into the contest unbeaten in the league since September.

Speaking to evertontv, Dyche believes the resilient nature of his side's performance was an indication of the group's determination to start building momentum. 

“There are still layers on top of that performance, obviously. We can deal with the ball better at times,” explained Dyche.

“But I wanted an urgency, I wanted passion to the play and a commitment to the shirt. That was on show.  

“Some of the blocking and tackling… I think we doubled our tackles against them. That’s a good sign that the players are at it. They want more. 

“We broke the play, there were some good moments. We created two or three great opportunities. Some great crossing moves, broke up the play higher up the pitch.

“It’s not easy, you’re playing Arsenal. They are flying, they are a good outfit. To do that to them and deliver that performance, we’ll now aim to build on that with some quality, because there is a quality here no two ways about that.

“But we needed a base to work from, so I am pleased about that because the performance was really important to me. 

“The results come and go, we want them to come, of course, but the performance was very important to me. To see the players had accepted what we had tried to get into them, and then going out and delivering.”

Next up for Everton is the short trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the 242nd edition of the Merseyside derby. For the Blues, it could be a potential opportunity to climb out of the bottom three and up the table. 

The hosts, meanwhile, are winless in each of their past four league matches and will be desperate to try and get their own season back on track. 

With plenty of the line for both sides, Dyche believes Saturday’s display has set the bar for that clash and, indeed, the remainder of the campaign.

“[Arsenal] was a platform for the players to see the expectation, no matter who you are. No matter what style of player you are," he added.

“The shape, the work ethic, and the two wide players working back tremendously hard. Alex, I know he can player and he’s a very talented footballer. But the working back and doubling up with Seamus was terrific.”

He added: “Different managers have different feels for different players and different styles, about how they wish the team to play. I’m looking at the players with a clean slate going right how do they fit in with what I think is appropriate, and of course the opposition. 

“Arsenal, for example, are top of the league for a reason. Unlikely against a team like them, no matter how good you are, that you’re going dominate the ball. 

“Not impossible, but improbable. So therefore you better be doing all the other stuff really, really well.”