The 10-point penalty imposed on Everton shows the Premier League is a “defunct organisation”, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has said.

An independent commission sanctioned the Toffees last week after they exceeded losses permitted under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules by £19.5million in the three seasons ending in 2021-22.

Neville compared Everton’s penalty with the £3.5m fines imposed on the ‘Big Six’ clubs in 2021 over their involvement in an attempt to launch a European Super League.

Neville described what those clubs had done as “the attempted murder” of football.

“Everton’s trust and faith (in the Premier League) has gone completely. The greed and selfishness is out of control – it’s lawless,” he said on the Stick to Football podcast brought to you by Sky Bet.

“The Premier League is a defunct organisation because they’ve got 20 clubs all voting with self-interest. This has been coming for many years.

“The Super League clubs that tried to destroy the whole of European football – they were fined a total of £22m, £3.5m for each team, which is an absolute disgrace and a scandal for what they attempted to do, which was the attempted murder of our game.

“I actually feel sorry for the executives at the Premier League because I think they’re dealing with a mob that you can’t control.”

Everton have appealed against the sanction, but could yet face compensation claims from other clubs.

Neville’s former United team-mate Roy Keane told the same podcast Everton should just “take their medicine”.

“I know it’s extreme with 10 points, but it brings a bit of closure to Everton after a difficult few years, and we all think that from a football point of view they’ll still be able to stay up,” he said.

“They’ll have enough to stay up, have got a cup game coming up, and can try and get the feel-good factor back in the club and take their medicine, have closure, move on, and learn from their past mistakes.”

Everton striker Oumar Niasse became the first Premier League player to be hit with a retrospective suspension for diving on this day in 2017.

The Senegal international was handed a two-match ban by the Football Association after winning a controversial penalty, under pressure from Scott Dann, in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Niasse’s punishment came six months after the FA voted in favour of introducing new laws in an attempt to clamp down on players diving or feigning injury.

Everton caretaker boss David Unsworth felt a “dangerous precedent” could be set by the sanction.

“I think these people (the FA) will be very busy,” he said. “He (Niasse) was shocked and I was shocked (by the charge).

“It’s a dangerous precedent that could be set if decisions are given against you which are debatable.”

Niasse denied he had “committed an act of simulation” which led to a spot-kick being awarded in the fifth minute of the game in south London.

But he was found guilty by the FA’s Independent Regulatory Commission, which includes former players.

Leighton Baines converted the contentious penalty to cancel out James McArthur’s early opener before Niasse earned Everton a point by equalising following a goal from Eagles forward Wilfried Zaha.

Palace boss Roy Hodgson said: “My only satisfaction is that the FA and the people who make those decisions have sided with me rather than the player.”

Everton’s 10-point penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules should be suspended until an independent regulator can examine the case, a Liverpool MP has said.

Ian Byrne, the Labour member of parliament for Liverpool West Derby, has tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons concerning the club’s plight.

Everton were found by the independent commission which imposed the sanction to have acted “irresponsibly” in exceeding permitted losses over a three-year period by £19.5million.

Byrne’s motion criticises the commission’s “cavalier approach to points deductions” and argues that the Premier League “can no longer fairly govern top-flight football without independent scrutiny and legislation”.

The motion’s text describes the sanction as “grossly unjust” and as a “punishment lacking any legal or equitable foundation or justification for the level of sanction”.

Byrne’s motion also notes that financial rather than sporting penalties were handed down to the clubs who sought to join the European Super League in 2021.

The motion urges the Government to immediately establish an independent regulator and “requests the suspension of all proceedings and sanctions made by the commission until the regulator makes its own determinations”.

An independent regulator for the top five tiers of the English game moved a step closer earlier this month, with the inclusion of the Football Governance Bill in the King’s Speech.

Everton have already indicated their intention to appeal against the commission’s sanction, with the appeal expected to be heard during the course of the current season.

The club could face compensation claims from other teams in relation to the case, although no other club has yet confirmed an intention to do so.

The Mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotheram, wrote to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters on Monday to highlight what he felt was the “excessive” nature of the sanction imposed.

“The decision to deduct 10 points from Everton is excessive considering the club’s willingness and proactivity in collaborating with the Premier League to ensure all dealings were FFP compliant when it was clear they were close to breaching the rules,” Rotheram wrote.

“There are a number of mitigating factors in Everton’s transgression in relation to debt ceilings that are in effect geo-political and therefore outside of their control.

“As many people have pointed out, the punishment imposed appears severe for the charge in question and sets a new precedent.

“I completely support the club’s appeal and would urge you to take a more balanced approach and consider alternative forms of punishment that do not unfairly penalise the club’s players and supporters.

“As a founding member of both the Football League and the Premier League, Everton are an important part of the fabric of English football. They deserve to be treated with respect.”

The Premier League has "opened Pandora's box" after Everton were deducted 10 points for breaching financial regulations.

That is the view of John Blain, the vice-chairman of the Everton Shareholders' Association and of Toffee TV.

Everton were hit with the largest points deduction in Premier League history on Friday, after being found guilty by an independent commission of breaching the competition's Profit and Sustainability rules.

The commission found that Everton had lost £124.5million over a three-year period, which is £19.5m over the £105m threshold.

Everton's punishment comes amid the backdrop of Manchester City facing 115 charges, while Chelsea are under investigation after reports detailed a series of payments, worth tens of millions, were made during the tenure of former owner Roman Abramovich. The deduction has taken Everton from 14th to 19th in the Premier League.

The Toffees have confirmed they will appeal the decision, and Blain believes the Premier League wanted a "show trial" in a bid to put off the installation of a government-backed independent regulator.

"A fair amount of this document is like a subjective VAR decision. In every place where it can't be proven, because the onus of proof is on Everton, then it's come down as bad for Everton," Blain told Stats Perform.

"The commission says: 'We agree with the Premier League that the requirement of punishment, deterrents, a vindication of complying clubs, and the protection of the integrity of the sport demand a sporting sample'. I think it's quite hilarious that it thinks it is protecting sporting integrity by doing this to this football club at this time, and the report itself says that Everton did not breach the rules deliberately.

"Yet we have other clubs, notably Manchester City, where there's no sign of the integrity being protected by bringing them to the courtroom. I think the Premier League has opened Pandora's Box – other clubs are in the tunnel, and at the end of the tunnel, you meet one of these commissions.

"It is interesting that when Everton were referred to an independent commission, the Premier League did not have any method whatsoever for calculating what the punishment would be, yet they sought to influence the commission by creating one as recently as August.

"The commission chose to ignore that guidance, but those rules that were put in place in August, should – and I suspect they won't – apply to clubs who have made huge losses.

"They appear to have opened Pandora's Box and they can't close it now. The next league game for Everton is at Goodison Park, and is against Manchester United, and I think people around the world will see what Everton fans think of this.

"We as fans are talking about the policy and process of the Premier League that we're objecting to – a fit-for-purpose sanction would not be 10 points. This will hang over Everton for a good chunk of the season, but also those clubs that think Everton getting deducted 10 points will stop them getting relegated. Those clubs won't know how many points they'll need to be safe until the end of the appeal process. It's crazy."

While Everton feel hard done by, Blain pointed out that Farhad Moshiri's leadership has left much to be desired.

He said: "Moshiri's legacy will be one of mismanagement and not making the board more effective. He has the good fortune that a new stadium, which will be seen across Europe when the Euros are here, will probably be the legacy that he quite likes.

"But the rest of it is not going to cover him in glory at all. The sad thing is the people who are culpable, who were running the business at the time of the transgressions, most notably the former chief executive [Denise Barrett-Baxendale] and chief financial officer [Grant Ingles], chose not to submit a witness statement to this commission.

"The chief executive of the Premier League made a witness statement, and the CFO of the Premier League made a statement – there was only one side of the story; that in itself is quite damning.

"If Everton were to be relegated because of this 10-point deduction, then clearly it would be the most damning of legacies. That the complete and utter failure to run the business probably resulted in the ultimate sanction of a founding member of the Premier League falling out of it for the first time ever."

Blain does, though, feel Sean Dyche's side are well-equipped to stay up despite the sanction.

"The team, and the management on the sporting side is in a far better place than it has been in many years," he said. "We will be "safe" from relegation and probably miss it by more points than in the last few years.

"We've been to the well as Everton fans and really suffered due to the ineptness of our sporting side, but it's getting sorted out. So perversely, this points deduction is not as emotive as it might have been if the policies and procedures of the Premier League were in place and they'd been able to take the club to court quicker.

"That's the thing that might upset other clubs, who all believe they would not have been relegated had this happened sooner. We will never know, and there's a fair amount of precedent inside the document that these are just normal business hurdles that you have to overcome."

Everton have been deducted 10 points with immediate affect after being found to have breached Premier League financial rules.

The Toffees have confirmed their intention to appeal against the sanction, which relates to the period ending in the 2021-22 season.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at the two other Premier League clubs to be handed a points deduction.

Portsmouth (March 2010)

Portsmouth were deducted nine points in 2010 after the south-coast club went into administration.
The sanction all but rubber-stamped Pompey’s relegation, as they were left 17 points from safety with nine league games remaining.
Despite the off-field issues, with the club reportedly having debts of £65million, Avram Grant took Portsmouth to the FA Cup final that season, where they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea before facing up to life in the Championship.

Middlesbrough (January 1997)

Middlesbrough were given a three-point deduction after postponing a Premier League match at short notice for not having enough fit players to put out a team.
Ahead of the game against Blackburn at Ewood Park, scheduled for Saturday, December 21 1996, Bryan Robson’s already injury-hit squad was further depleted by a virus.
On the Friday morning, Boro were left with only 17 players available – three of them being goalkeepers while five were without a first-team appearance for the club, and so informed the Premier League they would have to call off the game.
Boro were eventually ordered to appear before a Premier League commission, which ruled a three-point deduction would be imposed and the Blackburn match to be replayed.
Robson’s side went on to reach the finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup, losing both, but were relegated from the Premier League by two points.

Chelsea shrugged aside the attention surrounding Emma Hayes’ impending departure with a 3-0 win at Everton to consolidate their lead at the top of the Women’s Super League.

Jessie Fleming’s opener was followed by goals from Sam Kerr and former Everton loanee Aggie Beever-Jones as the London side eased to victory over a spirited Toffees side who caused the champions plenty of first-half problems.

Chelsea, who were playing for the first time since the announcement last weekend that Hayes will step down at the end of the season after 12 years as manager, remained clear of the chasing pack as a result.

That is due in part to a surprise defeat for Manchester City, who headed into the weekend in second place and three points adrift of the leaders.

Lee Geum-min returned to haunt her former club when she fired Brighton to a 1-0 win over Gareth Taylor’s team at the City Football Academy.

The South Korea international scored the game’s only goal nine minutes from time as title hopefuls City were made to pay for not making the most of their dominance and slipped to a second successive league defeat in the process.

Manchester United made no such mistake, routing West Ham 5-0 to leapfrog their neighbours.

United stunned the Hammers with a fast start and then killed them off with a late flurry as they surged to a victory in torrential rain at Leigh Sports Village.

First-half goals from Geyse, Millie Turner and Nikita Parris put the hosts in charge by the break, and late strikes from substitutes Lucia Garcia and Melvine Malard wrapped up a comprehensive triumph.

Sophie Roman Haug’s second-half header ensured Liverpool emerged from their trip to Tottenham with something to show for their efforts.

Celine Bizet Ildhusoy had fired the hosts ahead with a stunning solo effort at Brisbane Road, but the Norway striker levelled as the sides who started the day in third and fourth places respectively ended it with a 1-1 draw.

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Late goals from England international Rachel Daly and Ebony Salmon handed Aston Villa their first points of the season courtesy of a 2-0 victory at Bristol City.

In a game of few clear-cut chances between the division’s bottom two sides, Daly broke the deadlock with 14 minutes remaining before substitute Salmon struck four minutes from time to secure three priceless points which lifted Villa from the foot of the table on goal difference.

Sean Dyche praised Everton’s improved mentality away from home after he watched his side beat Crystal Palace 3-2 at Selhurst Park to make it back-to-back Premier League victories on the road.

Twice in south London Everton surrendered their lead but neither time were they deterred and they finally nicked it with a goal from Idrissa Gueye four minutes from the end.

Dyche, whose side beat West Ham at the London Stadium on their last Premier League away day, said he saw clear signs that his players are forging a mentality to win consistently away from Goodison Park.

“Obviously topsy-turvy,” said Dyche. “We started so well, with a fantastic goal. They responded with a moment we should have dealt with earlier. They get a soft penalty from our point of view.

“Then really it was a strange game after that. I don’t think anyone really gripped the first half, and second half (Palace) did. I thought they were very good. I think we had to work very hard.

“I think the mentality I’m trying to work with the players on is the belief in finding different ways of winning games, and I think we’re showing that.

“We had to do it last week against Brighton, so nearly won but got a good point. Then coming (to Palace) today.

“Away form here was a big question mark when got here. We’re beginning to change the mentality towards these games. That was on show today.”

Vitalii Mykolenko headed in Jack Harrison’s cross after only 55 seconds but Eberechi Eze, on his first start since returning from a hamstring injury, levelled from the penalty spot four minutes later.

Abdoulaye Doucoure restored Everton’s lead minutes after the break, but again Palace fought back to level when Odsonne Edouard capitalised on James Tarkowski’s error to score.

The hosts could not hold on to a point, though, as Gueye struck late to win it after latching on to Doucoure’s excellent through-ball.

Mykolenko, who had a hand in Doucoure’s goal, put in one of his best performances in an Everton shirt and Dyche said he felt the Ukrainian’s progression encapsulated his side’s improved approach in recent weeks.

“He’s beginning to mature into himself really as a player and in his Everton career,” he said. “I think he can defend, he’s beginning to show that he can go forwards, he wants to get into the right areas.

“It’s a fantastic header and he’s nearly got a brace with a lovely strike, a controlled effort at goal.”

Palace boss Roy Hodgson reflected on a match that ultimately slipped away from his side despite a gallant effort to twice recover from falling behind.

“I’m sad, I’m frustrated,” he said. “Early goals in each half, we had to come from behind twice.

“We had to work very hard to come from behind twice and put in a very good effort. We had a lot of the ball and worked hard to create those chances.

“To then concede a third goal and lose the game, that’s hard to take.”

Everton beat Crystal Palace 3-2 at Selhurst Park as Idrissa Gueye’s goal four minutes from time capped a superb away performance from Sean Dyche’s team.

Palace twice came from behind, with Eberechi Eze’s penalty quickly cancelling out Vitalii Mykolenko’s early opener and Odsonne Edouard capitalising on a howler from James Tarkowski to level up after Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal.

But they had no answer a third time after Gueye kept his cool to seal victory and propel his side to consecutive away wins.

It all came after an electric start. Palace failed to clear their lines as Mykolenko’s shot was blocked, and as the ball broke wide on the right the Ukrainian found space inside the box and climbed highest to nod Jack Harrison’s cross past Sam Johnstone after just 55 seconds.

Palace fans may have been stunned but their team quickly hit back.

Within three minutes they were level, and it was Eze, back in the side after a hamstring injury, who danced into Everton’s box and drew a foul from Jarrad Branthwaite.

VAR checked and saw no reason to overturn referee Sam Barrott’s penalty award, leaving the Eze the task of calmly rolling the ball past Jordan Pickford.

Selhurst Park howled for a second spot-kick when Eze again went down under apparent pressure inside the box. This time the referee deemed the forward had dived, and rather than a penalty, a yellow card was Eze’s reward.

Edouard forced Pickford into a save low to his right in added time at the end of the half in what was a rare instance of attacking threat from the home team.

Everton had won three of their previous six in the league, and after the frustration of failing to hold on to their early lead they began the second half in similarly urgent fashion.

A corner from the visitors’ right was cleared only to the edge of the box, where Amadou Onana scooped the ball square to Mykolenko. For the second time in the game he was given too much time to line up an effort on goal, and as his volley cannoned back off a post there was Doucoure unmarked to tap home.

The advantage looked fragile. On the hour mark, Mykolenko and Gueye almost produced a comical own-goal, getting in one another’s way as Jeffrey Schlupp’s cross dropped into the box and they required Pickford’s fingertips to keep them from bundling the ball over their own goal line.

Edouard was growing as a threat and with 25 minutes to go he handed Jefferson Lerma a golden chance to level, coming inside from the left of the box and cutting the ball back, only for Lerma, free on the edge of the box, to fire wide.

Michael Oliseh came off the bench for his first appearance of the season and drew a roar of anticipation from around Selhurst Park with a shot from 20 yards that deflected narrowly over.

Palace were by now dominant, and their second equaliser came courtesy of a defensive calamity. A high, headed ball into the box looked an easy mop-up job for Tarkowski, but rather than nod it clear he left the ball for his goalkeeper, and in stole Edouard to tap home.

Still Palace could not hold on to their point, and Everton roared back at them once more with four minutes to go, this time decisively.

Doucoure received the ball in midfield and looked up to see Gueye racing through the centre. Doucoure’s pass was weighted expertly and Gueye needed barely to break stride as he evaded Tyrick Mitchell’s lunging challenge and guided it beyond Johnstone.

Both Sean Dyche and Roberto De Zerbi declared themselves satisfied with a point from the 1-1 draw at Goodison Park but the Everton manager had more cause to rue a missed opportunity than his Brighton counterpart.

Having taken a seventh-minute lead through Vitalii Mykolenko’s first goal in 18 months the hosts put up a resilient defensive performance against opponents who enjoyed 80 percent possession.

But just when it appeared they had secured a sixth win in eight games, Kaoru Mitoma’s cross deflected wickedly off Ashley Young and looped over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

“It is definitely a point gained, they are a very good outfit,” said Dyche.

“Obviously we are very unfortunate with a massive deflection after them not having many chances at all.

“I thought the tactical side of the game was fantastic from the players.”

When Dyche reflects on the game he will see it more as two points dropped as he felt his side should have had a second-half penalty while still leading when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was wrestled to the ground by Jan Paul van Hecke.

“I know, because I was a centre-half, he (Van Hecke) is the wrong side of him. I think you do things like that because you have that moment when you think ‘He is in’,” Dyche added.

“That is a really important call and it went against us but I don’t know how it went against us because I thought it was obvious.

“I’m bound to say that, but when people see it I’ll be surprised if they didn’t think there was certainly a big suggestion of that being wrong.

“I’m not saying it is an absolute but it is a long way to being a decision which should have been given in my opinion.”

Despite the draw, Brighton’s malaise continues as they have not won a Premier League match since September and despite dominating they managed just two shots on target, neither of which was the goal.

“It’s an important point. We are not playing well like a month ago but there are many reasons for it,” said De Zerbi.

“It’s not a very brilliant moment for us but in many ways we are fighting. I think we played a good game, we didn’t shoot enough to win the game and the result is fair.

“I’m happy for the point. I am proud of the performance. We are fighting but we are not in the best moment.”

Ashley Young’s unfortunate own goal denied Everton a sixth win in eight matches as Brighton snatched a late 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

Defender Vitalii Mykolenko looked like being an unlikely match-winner with his first goal in 18 months until Kaoru Mitoma’s cross took a freakish deflection off the Toffees’ other full-back with six minutes remaining.

Having taken the lead, Everton had done a good job of keeping the visitors at bay – assisted by VAR ruling out Lewis Dunk’s equaliser for offside and also a good save by Jordan Pickford to deny the Seagulls captain – and Sean Dyche’s side looked well set for their first back-to-back Premier League wins in 13 months.

It says a lot about how perspectives have changed in the last few weeks that Everton were disappointed with a draw against a team who finished sixth last season, but in the see-saw world of the Premier League the Merseysiders remain upwardly mobile while Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is still trying to work out why his team cannot convert possession into points.

The Seagulls’ last top-flight victory on September 24 lifted them to third in the table on 15 points; the same weekend Everton won their first game to move out of the bottom three with four points.

Brighton, who have taken just three points from the last 15 available, enjoyed 90 percent possession in the opening 10 minutes but Everton had already managed three shots on target, two of those from Mykolenko in the attack which led to his goal.

The other was a volley from Abdoulaye Doucoure, fresh from signing a new contract, which was parried by Bart Verbruggen who had replaced Jason Steele in goal as one of five changes.

Mykolenko showed a proficiency in front of goal not seen before as his left-foot strike from Dwight McNeil’s cross was parried by Verbruggen only for the defender to lash home only his second goal for the club with his weaker right foot in the seventh minute.

The Ukraine international last found the net towards the end of his debut season in May 2022.

With the pattern of the game firmly established – Brighton ended the game with 80 percent possession – it was set up for an Everton rearguard action and that played right into their hands, with James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite again excellent against Evan Ferguson, with Mykolenko providing admirable support.

Everton looked to have been breached by Dunk’s brilliant volleyed equaliser at the far post from Pascal Gross’s 15th-minute free-kick only for VAR to intervene as the Seagulls began their long dominance of the ball, although they remained uncharacteristically careless with it and that offered Everton encouragement.

As a result, Dominic Calvert-Lewin found himself in a two-on-two but dragged a shot wide with Doucoure in support, while Joel Veltman’s tangle with McNeil in the penalty area was deemed accidental by referee Tim Robinson.

Joao Pedro’s second-half introduction for Adam Lallana gave Brighton a better option going forward but even then they did not properly threaten, with Pickford’s first genuine save coming in the 55th minute when he tipped over Dunk’s free-kick.

But he could not reach the wickedly dipping ball which sailed over him from Mitoma via Young.

Everton manager Sean Dyche wants his players to develop a physical and mental resilience so they are happy playing three times a week.

The Toffees boss made just two changes for the comfortable 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over his former side Burnley – who made seven – to set up a quarter-final meeting with Fulham.

Dyche’s school of thought is if his side are playing more it means they are involved in more competitions for longer and that is the route to success.

“It’s always tempting (to make changes),” he said after goals from James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Ashley Young – his first for the club – saw off the Clarets without much fuss.

“The challenge you have got is if you want to go and be really super-successful you will play a lot of football so I want the players to realise they can play three games a week, that they can have the mentality and take these games on.

“The support systems have never been greater so I don’t think it’s a lot to ask players to play three in a week.

“At the end of the day I want the mentality to be ‘I want to play every game’. It’s not finished but it’s building.”

Momentum is also building after a fifth win in seven matches as Everton gave their late chairman Bill Kenwright the send-off he would have wanted.

Goodison Park rose as one to mark his death last week at the age of 78 and the team ensured the occasion was marked in fitting fashion.

“It’s work in progress but there is progress. When you start winning people start to believe a bit more,” Dyche added.

“I think the players are beginning to believe more and more. Five in seven is a good marker. The players deserve it, they are working very hard on the training pitch.”

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany insists his side are still trying to adapt to life at elite level despite blowing away the Championship last season to book an immediate return to the top flight.

“I have never mastered the art of feeling good after a defeat. The first half was good but mistakes cost us at this level,” he said.

“You don’t accept it, absolutely not. But you put it into context because it could make your head crazy.

“Is it a bad performance? No. The worrying thing would be if you didn’t have belief in the squad but that’s not the case. These are steps we have to make.

“You go through such a huge gap between the Championship and Premier League. It is not an excuse but motivation to get better.

“When you get promoted it is not supposed to be easy. You are on a journey. That is part of what we are experiencing now.”

Everton gave their late chairman Bill Kenwright the send-off he would have wanted as ex-Burnley duo James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil played a major part in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over their former club.

On a night when the fanbase, which has often been divided over the role of Kenwright spanning almost two decades, rose as one to mark his death last week at the age of 78, the team ensured the occasion was marked in fitting fashion.

Tarkowski’s header opened the scoring in the 13th minute and the centre-back’s aerial prowess came to the fore early in the second half when he nodded McNeil’s header back into the danger area for Amadou Onana to poke home from close range.

Ashley Young’s first Everton goal in added time came courtesy of substitute Beto’s driving run along the byline, handing Toffees manager Sean Dyche victory against his former side.

The scoreline flattered Burnley, struggling after promotion straight back to the Premier League, whose side registering seven changes struggled to lay a glove on their hosts.

They were no match for Everton, watched by owner Farhad Moshiri for the first time in over two years, and they are growing in confidence after a fifth victory in seven matches – their best run in a non-Covid-19 season since May 2019.

From the moment Tarkowski buried a header from a McNeil cross the result was barely in doubt.

The centre-back’s celebration was low-key against his former team but McNeil, whose first-half stint on the left wing put him in the firing line of the travelling support, turned and cupped his ear to Clarets fans.

And he almost silenced them completely with a drive just over from the edge of the penalty area.

Burnley’s inability to play out from the back against better quality opposition was highlighted when Dara O’Shea, one of four players to be retained from the Bournemouth defeat, passed straight to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and was fortunate the striker’s low shot was off target.

McNeil’s harsh treatment from the visiting fans was extended onto the pitch when Ameen Al-Dakhil, another player keeping his place, was booked for chopping him down as he threatened to break.

Burnley’s best chance was denied by a sliding James Garner cutting out a cross which was destined to be a Jay Rodriguez tap-in at the far post.

Everton – particularly goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making his 250th appearance for the club – were barely extended and more calamitous defending early in the second half led to another goal.

Al-Dakhil lost all perspective of where the ball was, allowing it to bounce off him into the path of Calvert-Lewin whose shot was deflected behind.

Onana delivered the killer blow from the resulting corner and another close-range strike from Young saw Everton coast into the quarter-finals.

Everton paid tribute to Bill Kenwright as his long-term partner Jenny Seagrove, daughter Lucy and former Toffees striker and manager Joe Royle laid wreaths before the Carabao Cup match with Burnley.

As the trio walked to the centre-circle before kick-off at Goodison Park, Elton John’s ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’ was played and a minute’s applause was held for Kenwright, who was chairman for almost two decades and died last week at the age of 78.

A blue and white scarf was also placed on his seat in the directors’ box, where he had not sat since January due to security issues after a number of fan protests.

Owner Farhad Moshiri – making his first appearance at Goodison Park in more than two years – led the tributes in the matchday programme, saying: “Bill was a force of nature and he certainly changed my life nearly 10 years ago when he first spoke to me about getting involved with the club.

“The new Everton stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock will provide an iconic new home for the club and will stand as a lasting legacy to his memory.

“I will miss no longer hearing his voice on the end of a telephone many times each day, talking about players, plotting how the club can do better and better.

“He was a special soul, a man successful in so many different walks of life. We will miss him but never forget him.”

Manager Sean Dyche said Kenwright was a “perfect gentleman and an incredibly passionate individual whose love for Everton was infectious”.

Captain Seamus Coleman said he could not thank ‘The Chairman’ – as he always called him – enough for his personal support when he made the move from Sligo to Goodison Park as a 20-year-old.

He said: “The chairman knew that my family would be concerned about me and he assured them time and time again I would be looked after.”

A number of former managers appointed under Kenwright’s chairmanship also shared their tributes with Roberto Martinez hailing “a contagious force who lived and breathed Everton”.

David Moyes said: “He gave me a big opportunity in my career when I was a young manager in the lower leagues. He was a wonderful man, brilliantly supportive. I couldn’t have had a better chairman as a young coach.”

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said Kenwright was “Everton to the core”, Fulham manager Marco Silva described him as a “great man and a great Evertonian”, while Frank Lampard said he was a “man with a huge personality and even bigger heart”.

Former players also sent their condolences, with Wayne Rooney thanking him personally for his support over the years and adding: “No-one loved the club more.”

Ex-midfielder Tim Cahill said he would “make sure your spirit will live in our football club forever”.

Sean Dyche and Dominic Calvert-Lewin dedicated Everton’s 1-0 victory at West Ham to chairman Bill Kenwright.

The Toffees were playing their first match since the death of Kenwright on Monday at the age of 78.

It was a performance the lifelong Everton fan would surely have been proud of with Calvert-Lewin hitting a superb second-half winner.

“Firstly, and you can’t guarantee it, but it’s befitting to win after the week we’ve had following the sad loss of the chairman,” said Toffees boss Dyche.

“The players know the depth of the chairman’s love for the club, they’re well aware of that.”

Calvert-Lewin revealed the shock of the news affected everyone at Goodison Park.

“No-one was prepared for what happened this week and it has saddened everyone at the club. That one was for Bill,” the striker told Sky Sports.

“He would have been proud of us and proud of how we won – to get the lead, dig in and work so hard. It was a very good day.”

Calvert-Lewin, who has been beset by injuries over the past couple of seasons, looks to be finally getting back to his best.

Six minutes into the second half he played a one-two with Jack Harrison, Cruyff-turned away from Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd and hit a low shot past Alphonse Areola.

It was his 50th Premier League goal for Everton, joining Romelu Lukaku, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill in reaching the half-century.

“Dom’s a very good player who’s had a tough couple of years,” added Dyche.

“He’s very close now, you can tell in his body language and it was a fine finish.

“He looks stronger, sharper. It is a really good marker for him to get to that number.”

A second away win of the season gave Everton a little more breathing space between them and the bottom three.

“This is a tough place to come, they’ve proved that over the last couple of years, so it was a very good performance,” said Dyche.

“We are improving from last season. I think there are clear signs of that.”

For West Ham, it was a third defeat in eight days following reverses at Aston Villa and in the Europa League at Olympiacos.

David Moyes picked an attacking line-up, handing Ghana winger Mohammed Kudus his first start in the Premier League, but their only shot on target came in the 90th minute through substitute Said Benrahma.

“That would be a problem for us,” said Moyes. “But, let’s be fair, that’s the first game we’ve not scored a goal in this season.

“But I agree, I thought we missed chances today, we missed two or three opportunities to score. I don’t think it was ever going to be a game where we had nine or 10 opportunities. I didn’t see it that way for either team.”

Everton ended a difficult week on a positive note as Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired them to a 1-0 win at West Ham.

The Toffees were playing their first match since the death of chairman Bill Kenwright on Monday at the age of 78.

It had been emotional week, too, for Hammers manager David Moyes, who formed a close friendship with Kenwright during his 11-year spell in charge at Goodison Park.

But while West Ham slumped to a third defeat in eight days following reverses at Aston Villa and in the Europa League at Olympiacos, Everton were able to put some more breathing space between themselves and the bottom three with a second away win of the season.

Calvert-Lewin’s goal was his 50th in the Premier League for Everton, joining Romelu Lukaku, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill in reaching the half-century.

It came six minutes into the second half after a first half that will not live long in the memory.

West Ham created an early opportunity when Lucas Paqueta skilfully lifted the ball over Nathan Patterson and drilled in a low cross which Jarrod Bowen could only slice wide.

Moments later Paqueta showed the side of his game which so infuriates Moyes, gifting the ball to Jack Harrison who burst through only to fire too close to Hammers keeper Alphonse Areola.

Ghana winger Mohammed Kudus, making first Premier League start for West Ham, showed he is already getting used to the darker arts of English football after he was chopped down by James Tarkowski.

As Jordan Pickford raced out of his goal to tell the youngster to get up, Kudus shoved the England keeper away in a skirmish which earned both a booking.

Calvert-Lewin had his first chance from Vitalii Mykolenko’s cross but the striker headed over.

A torturous half was summed up by the audible sigh which echoed around the London Stadium when five minutes of stoppage time was announced.

The game desperately needed a goal and it almost came through Bowen, who got on the end of a James Ward-Prowse free-kick but guided his header too high.

Instead the goal arrived at the other end after Jarrad Branthwaite won the ball back for Everton in midfield and fed Calvert-Lewin.

The former England forward played a one-two with Harrison before executing a Cruyff turn which left both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd flat-footed and firing low past Areola.

It was Calvert-Lewin’s sixth goal in all competitions against the Hammers, the most he has scored against one single club.

Everton almost doubled the lead when Zouma and Aguerd got in another tangle but Areola got down well to tip Aboulaye Doucoure’s shot wide.

The closest West Ham came to an equaliser was a Said Benrahma volley which Pickford kept out at his near post to secure the points.