James Tarkowski says Everton’s togetherness helped them to thrive during a taxing Premier League schedule, which saw the Blues pick up three wins in eight days.

Following victories over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, and Newcastle United and Chelsea at Goodison Park, the Toffees head into this weekend’s away match against Burnley eyeing a fourth consecutive win.

Everton last did that in December 2020, and Tarkowski insists the Blues are looking forward to the challenge of taking on his former club.

“These weeks are good because you get to play lots of games, but they are tough on the body as you can probably tell [against Chelsea]” said the Everton centre-back, speaking to evertontv after Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Londoners.

“The lads were lagging at the end so we are grinding it out. But, yes, it'll be nice to have a bit of a rest through this week and we'll look forward to this weekend.”

The Toffees still have five games remaining in December, with league fixtures against Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves and Manchester City, along with a home Carabao Cup quarter-final against Fulham on Tuesday 19 December.

Tarkowski recognises that a mental toughness will continue to be needed during the busy schedule, as he explained how the Blues handled the quick turnaround from Thursday’s match against Newcastle to the Chelsea game on Sunday.

“It looked like we were feeling the Thursday night game a little bit," he acknowledged. “It was a tough grind, I thought. We didn't have the energy we had, but the same mentality was there on show: just grinding it out; no one complaining about losing the ball or giving it away or having to be out of possession - just working hard for each other; a real togetherness. 

“We knew it was going to be difficult because they're a good side. They're not right there up the table but they are mid-table, with a lot of really talented players, so we had to bide our time and stick to our game plan, work hard and stay tight because we knew we would get chances.”

The Everton defender has been a key figure for the Blues once again this season, registering 1,439 minutes so far in the league - more than any other Toffees outfielder.

Captain throughout much of the campaign in Seamus Coleman's injury absence, Tarkowski has helped a well-organised Everton defence to concede just 56 shots on target, with only Arsenal and Manchester City recording fewer.

Nevertheless, he was full of praise for the Blues attack, highlighting Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin, who both scored in Sunday’s 2-0 win.

“To be fair to Doucs, he just keeps scoring goals for us, and he just pops up in the right places all the time,” Tarkowski added.

“It was a great goal for Dobbs in the end. What a reward for him because he works hard and doesn't always get the chance to get on the pitch, but, on Sunday he did and wins the game for us.”