'Could be pivotal' - National media react to Everton win over Burnley as points deduction fears loom

Everton’s win over Burnley was as important as it was lucky, those reporting on the game acknowledged.

For all the focus on the calamitous mistake from away goalkeeper Arijanet Muric that proved the difference in this game, most highlighted how a win at any cost was desperately needed by a Blues side facing a third consecutive relegation fight courtesy of problems off the pitch and, heading into this fixture, a club record winless Premier League streak.

It was of particular significance given the outcome of Everton’s second profit and sustainability case is due this week, a verdict that could contain another points deduction. With that in mind, here is how the Blues' first league win of 2024 was reported...

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Andy Hunter, in The Guardian, described the result as “a most fortuitous victory” and pointed to Jarrad Branthwaite’s display, also hailed by Burnley boss Vincent Kompany, as a standout positive in a game with little quality. He also alluded to Sean Dyche's post-match comments, saying: "It was ugly by design, according to the Everton manager. No-one knew whether he was joking."

Hunter wrote: “Everton’s taste of a first Premier League win since visiting Burnley in December owed plenty to luck and the visitors’ tendency to aim both barrels at their own feet. Dominic Calvert-Lewin deflected Muric’s delayed clearance into the Burnley net for a crucial match-winner while Dara O’Shea received a straight red card for a foul on Dwight McNeil, puncturing their chances of a recovery in an instant. Kompany’s strugglers still managed to make life fraught for