Sean Dyche has praised the mentality of his Everton players after they secured three wins from their past four outings - but reminded them there's plenty of work still to be done.
Despite several dominant displays, the Blues were left with a single point from their opening five Premier League matches. They remained undeterred, though, and produced another strong showing at Brentford last month, earning a fine 3-1 win for their endeavours.
Dyche's men followed that up with a 2-1 success at Aston Villa four days later in the Carabao Cup, halting the host's 10-game winning run at home in the process.
Momentum was checked briefly when Everton fell to a surprise 2-1 defeat against Luton Town at Goodison Park following that impressive duo of away wins - despite another dominant performance - but the team responded emphatically this past weekend to run out 3-0 winners against Bournemouth.
"I'm very pleased the players keep pushing the boundaries and barriers to get the story to change," Dyche told evertontv. "There's still a lot of work to be done, of course. I was glad the fans got a reward against Bournemouth because they've been terrific.
"I think most Evertonians believe we have played really well, but you've got to win games. I've said to the players, 'You have got to win games, you have to find that winning edge'. It was obviously on show against Bournemouth on Saturday with some of the finishing.
"We created so many good chances, stayed calm and realised it will come our way. It did on Saturday with a good mixed bag of goals.
"I think we've been showing what the team's about but goals win games and wins change the whole feel. It just reinforces the good performances. I'm really pleased for the players. There's lots of work to be done - lots of work - but it's another shift forward."
Preparations for Saturday's contest were disrupted shortly before kick-off as Idrissa Gana Gueye was forced to withdraw from the starting line-up after picking up a minor heel injury in the game's warm-up.
Amadou Onana not only replaced him but also went on to produce a commanding display in the middle of the pitch; only Ashley Young completed more passes for Everton while only James Garner attempted more tackles.
Dyche praised the performance of the Belgium international and admitted selecting his starting midfielders isn't an easy task right now.
"We've got a real battle in there for places," added the Blues boss. "There's the three (Onana, Gana and Abdoulaye Doucoure) who have played so much for us, but with Jimmy playing so well, there's a real competitive element in there.
"We want competition in there. I was pleased with Onana when he came in after Gana got injured. It's fine lines between who to pick at the moment. We needed to win that game on Saturday, we won it, and the midfield players have played very well, so I'm pleased for both of them."
