WE’LL TURF ’EM OUT
Arfield sounds a battle warning
SCOTT ARFIELD has warned visitors to expect a turf war at Turf Moor.
Arfield stunned Everton with a last-gasp winner and says every team will get the same kind of unfriendly welcome in Burnley this season.
“It is a terrible place for teams to come,” he said.
“Nobody wants to come here. Turf Moor, with the fans, it is a hard place to come. I don’t care how good they are technically – if you get in the faces of people and you try to make it hard for them.
“I think it is fair to say that there are going to be teams who come here and out-pass us but we have to make it as ugly as possible. We have shown at times we are a good technical team.
“Top teams coming here they want to get time on the ball. If you don’t give them time on the ball it is harder for them. It is vitally important for us to get in that mindset.
“In the Liverpool game as well they had 80 per cent of the possession but at the end of the day we won the game and took three points.
“No matter how it comes we just have to keep getting the points on the board.”
A first-half Sam Vokes finish was cancelled out by Yannick Bolasie’s brilliant equaliser for Everton and Ronald Koeman’s men then went on to completely outclass the Clarets.
But Burnley somehow clung on and Arfield rifled home in the 90th minute to grab all three points. Burnley looked solid enough and boss Sean Dyche has forged a tight unit who roll their sleeves up for each other.
And Arfield believes the way the Clarets did not throw their manager on the scrapheap when they were relegated two years ago is a lesson other clubs should follow.
“It is so important,” he said. “You could always see the core of the team and it was evolving.
Battled
“Since I have been here it has been the same – everybody has been on the same page. I don’t think he’s under any sort of pressure as such as he has taken this club to the Premier League twice.”
Everton could have scored after 90 seconds but Tom Heaton saved well from Kevin Mirallas and that set the tone for the match.
Burnley battled hard, though, and Vokes snatched the lead after Maarten Stekelenburg parried the ball straight to him just before the break.
Bolasie’s first Everton goal was a cracker as he pushed team-mate Romelu Lukaku out of the way to thrash home after the break and Heaton’s goalmouth was then under constant attack as Everton went for the kill.
But it was Arfield who made all the difference – and now he cannot wait to face Manchester United at Old Trafford, even if he knows Burnley have to be better away from home.
He added: “It is going to be difficult. We have been a different team away from the one at home so it is up to us now to take that form from here away.
“We have to really have a go at them. There is no bigger stage.”
After a cracking start to this season, Everton have had a terrible month and have now not won since beating Middlesbrough on September 17.
Koeman was fuming and midfielder Gareth Barry was just as unhappy.
“We dominated,” said Barry. “We expect to come here and have most of the ball. We needed to take our chances and we dominated the first 20 minutes.
“The first goal is always important and unfortunately they got it.” 8; Lowton 6, BURNLEY (4-4-1-1): HEATON 83); Kightly Keane 7, Mee 6, Ward 7 (Flanagan 6, 6 (Tarkowski 74), Marney 7, Hendrick 6 (Bamford 89). Gudmundsson 6; Arfield 7; Vokes Long. Subs: Robinson, Darikwa, O’Neill, (a), Premier UP NEXT: Manchester United League, Saturday. 6; EVERTON (4-3-3): Stekelenburg 90), Williams Coleman 7, Jagielka 6 (Valencia 83), 6, Oviedo; Barry 7, Gueye 8 (Cleverley 76) BOLASIE 8, Barkley 7; Mirallas 6 (Deulofeu Mori, Holgate, Lukaku 7. Subs: Robles, Funes (h), Premier Lennon. UP NEXT: West Ham League, Sunday. Referee: Mike Jones 5. last two goals of YOUR TURN: Who scored the win at Burnley in his Everton career in their 3-1 October 2014?