Andre Gomes latest player to prove Sean Dyche's 'underbelly' plan is paying off at Everton

Sean Dyche praised the contribution of his squad players towards Everton’s progress this season after Andre Gomes made it five consecutive games in which a fringe player had scored for the Blues.

In his first competitive minutes under Dyche, the midfielder scored one and could have had two assists had it not been for the intervention of VAR and the work of Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Despite the narrow defeat it was an exceptional return for the midfielder, whose season to date had been ruined by injury.

Dyche is prepared to acknowledge he has a small squad - one that is stretched as injuries bite through a congested Christmas fixture list.

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But he has spent months trying to build and maintain standards even among those who are not playing and the consequences have been stunning - with Gomes the latest player to show he has something to offer Dyche.

Those goals, and the displays around them, have been crucial to the run of form that carried Everton clear of the relegation zone at a time when the team has been beset by injury and suspension. Abdoulaye Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrad Branthwaite, Ashley Young, Amadou Onana, Vitalii Mykolenko and club captain Seamus Coleman have all missed games this month. With the exception of Coleman, who was injured until his comeback against Newcastle United, each of those players has featured in most of the club’s games this campaign.

Yet despite this, Everton won four consecutive league games, each while keeping a clean sheet, before being knocked out of the