Everton hammering helped Burnley rediscover their edge, says Dyche

The Clarets suffered their ninth defeat in 11 Premier League games when they were hammered 5-1 at Turf Moor after Christmas, deepening their relegation worries.

However, since then Dyche’s side have gone on a seven-match unbeaten run in the league, picking up crucial wins against West Ham, Huddersfield, Fulham and Brighton and becoming the only team to take a point off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United.

It is Burnley’s best run of form in the top flight since 1975 and the Lancashire side are now at a warm-weather training camp in Portugal preparing for their next league clash against in-form Tottenham Hotspur a week on Saturday.

“The game against Everton was a really tough result, it wasn’t like us,” Dyche told TalkSport.

“I spoke with the group and these lads have been fantastic over a long period and I never question their will and desire, but we weren’t just playing with that edge, and we have to play with that.

“We have to. We’re not good enough to roll around the Premier League just picking up wins when we feel like it, we’re not good enough for that. We have to play with that edge and we have to be on our game all the times.

“The players deserve a massive amount of credit. They have taken ownership, they’ve got their heads down, pulled together as a group and we’ve actually played well. That edge and the belief had come back into the side.

“We’ve got a tough one next week against Tottenham, who were fantastic last night [in their 3-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund].

“They’re a good team, I like Mauricio Pochettino and everything they do, but in the form we’re in at the moment we’re back to being that really hardy side, and teams find it really awkward and really difficult to play against us.

“So we’ve got to continue that form.”