EXCLUSIVE: Richard Dunne speaks to the ECHO about how Everton can bounce back from their late collapse against Bournemouth

12:57, 10 Sep 2024Updated 08:18, 11 Sep 2024

Sean Dyche's side dominated their most-recent match on August 31 for long periods and looked set to secure their first three points of the season through goals from Michael Keane (50) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (57).

owever, they were left stunned by a late fightback in what proved to be a new Premier League record for the latest a team led 2-0 only to lose as Bournemouth turned things around in spectacular fashion, netting through Antoine Semenyo (87); Lewis Cook (90+2) and Luis Sinisterra (90+6).

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Speaking courtesy of online bingo site, Heart Bingo, the 45-year-old former Republic of Ireland international told the ECHO: "It's really hard. It comes down to confidence because as soon as the first goal went in, I think everyone had a horrible feeling that there was more to come and I think that spreads around the ground and through the players who have had a difficult start to the season so it becomes a confidence issue.

"You almost just have to get over it and relish the prospect of the situation happening again because this time you know what to do.

"Everton's players will know they have to roll their sleeves up and be prepared. Like the manager said, sometimes you just need to clear the ball rather than knocking it around the back.

"You need to become really horrible and difficult to play against for a period of time. I think they lost that mindset where they weren't like that or doing the basic things correctly and folded.

"It's a really difficult situation because I've been there and whatever you do, you're thinking, 'I just can't do the right thing', but it's a wake-up call that you have to try and get over as quickly as you can. Next time you're in that situation, if you do concede a goal then you have to know what you're doing for the next five minutes to keep it tight and keep it sensible."

Despite finishing last season with five consecutive home wins, Everton are yet to pick up their first three points of their historic final campaign at Goodison Park.

But Dunne believes the passion of their supporters can make a big difference in the months ahead before the club relocates to its 52,888-capacity future home at Bramley-Moore Dock in 2025/26.

He said: "I think that Everton can be really inspired by their crowd with it being Goodison Park's last season. I watched the Bournemouth game and thought at 2-0, that's probably the best place to be in the country as you could sense the relief that they felt they were going to get a victory, to move on and things were starting to improve.

"But just a few minutes later you're thinking this could be the worst place to be in the country. The emotion within the stadium is massive and the fans let their feelings be known both ways.

"Going forward, we've seen it in the past couple of seasons, like the Crystal Palace game in 2022 that it was the fans that won the game because they kept pushing and kept driving. More than most teams I think Everton are a side that rely on the stadium and the fans because they can add that something special to a matchday."