Sean Dyche senses Everton are hungry for more after run of impressive draws

Sean Dyche senses his players are hungry for more as Everton look to build on their recent run of impressive draws.

The Toffees frustrated champions Manchester City in a Boxing Day Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium that ended 1-1.

Coming after successive goalless stalemates against title contenders Arsenal and Chelsea, it was another valuable point in the battle against relegation.

Everton are now unbeaten in four – a run that started with victory over Wolves on December 4 – and have lost just two in 13 since beginning the campaign with a horror stretch of four-successive defeats.

On the flipside, they have won just three times in the league all season but manager Dyche has no doubt a corner has been turned.

Dyche said: “You have to find a way and, slowly but surely, we’re getting back to finding ways of winning games.

“After the first four games of the season, if you’d asked me would I have taken that run – yes, I would have, to get us back to having a foothold in the division. We’ve done that.

“Now we want more. We’re hungry for more. We want the players to want more and continue with some of the basic principles of what we’ve been doing.

“Defensively, we’ve been very strong after the first four games of the season. I think we’re in a better place.

“I think the mentality is strong. We’ve had to build that mentality and when you build it as a collective, it locks it in more.

“Now we’ve got to use that wisely to not only draw games, but to win games. That’s the next challenge, of course.”

Everton were not fazed by City although the hosts, anxious to get back to winning ways after falling out of the title race, started brightly and took an early lead through Bernardo Silva.

Iliman Ndiaye levelled before the break and, clearly lifted by a Jordan Pickford penalty save from Erling Haaland, Everton went on to finish the stronger.

Jack Harrison even had a chance to snatch all three points as Everton made a late break but the game ended all square.

The Merseysiders’ difficult month continues with a visit from high-flying Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Captain Seamus Coleman, who made his first start since August against City after overcoming fitness issues, said: “I think people from the outside looking in would have maybe looked at Everton’s December and thought ‘there’s not a lot to get there’.

“Thankfully from the Wolves game, which was a big game at the time, there’s been a togetherness on show, a work ethic on show.

“As I always say, if you want to play for Everton and you want the fans to like you, it has to begin with that.

“I think the lads have been putting in a great shift and deservedly came away with a point and maybe it could have been all three.

“We’ve just got to look to the next game and keep going and keep improving.”