EVERTON BOSS IS LOVING FORTRESS GOODISON EFFECT
MARCO SILVA saluted his Everton record-breakers as they shut out Watford.
Bernard’s 10th-minute strike did the damage as Silva’s miserly men claimed a record sixth successive home win without conceding for the first time since 2017.
It was also the Merseysiders’ 10th clean sheet in 13 Premier League outings, as Silva continues his quest to cement “fortress” Goodison.
“I’m really proud of our record and our players, the numbers are fantastic for us,” said Silva.
“We’ve had six clean sheets at home, five wins in a row, and 10 clean sheets in the last 13 Premier League games.
“Now the next step is to do the same in the other box. We are creating chances, but now is the time for us to be more assertive.”
England keeper Jordan Pickford pulled off two fine saves, especially to deny Hornets skipper Troy Deeney at point-blank range.
But Silva, who got one over his old club, added: “Our players are working really hard. Not just the goalkeeper and the back-line, but everyone.
“We deserved the three points. It was an important win for us, but keeping clean s heet s is al s o important.
“Our home record in the last six games is fantastic. It was a tough game, but we controlled the first 25-30 minutes.
“We lost a little bit of control after that and we didn’t start the second half.
“I ’ m not real ly happy with our performance, because I know we can play better, but it’s important you win when you don’t play your best. We want to make Goodison a fortress.” Lucas Digne rifled a left-foot shot wide of the right upright in the sixth minute as the Toffees started brightly.
And the French left-back crashed a curling free-kick into the Watford wall as the hosts pushed for an early opener.
They didn’t have to wait long as Bernard pounced, cutting inside from the left edge of the area and squeezing a right-foot strike past Hornets keeper Ben Foster.
The keeper should have done better, but that didn’t bother Bernard as he bagged his first goal of the season.
Watford had a penalty shout overturned, first by referee Lee Mason, then by VAR, which agreed Gerard Deulofeu had not been fouled by centre- back Yerry Mina. It left frustrated Hornets chief Javi Gracia questioning the benefit of VAR.
“I don’t know in this instance if the VAR is helping the referees,” he moaned. “But, in my opinion, we deserved something.
“I was disappointed with the result, but not the performance. We had clear chances but, if you don’t take them, you pay for it.
“We were really bad against Brighton last week, but this was a much better performance.”
Deeney’s miss was particularly costly for the visitors and Gracia added: “It was an important moment and we didn’t take it.”