Sean Dyche hails ‘very strong performance’ as Everton travel woes end at Ipswich

Everton manager Sean Dyche hailed his team’s “very strong performance” as they secured their first away win of the Premier League season at Ipswich.

The 2-0 victory at Portman Road was convincing, with Town having to wait until the 80th minute for their first shot at goal while they also had a first-half penalty appeal by Jack Clarke turned down following a VAR check by referee Michael Oliver.

The visitors however were clinical with their own finishing, scoring through Iliman Ndiaye in the 17th minute and Michael Keane five minutes before the break.

Dyche said: “I’m really pleased, a very professional performance.

“I thought we delivered a very strong performance defensively today to make sure we looked after the lead.

“I thought the shape of the team was good to make sure we saw the game through.

“They (Ipswich) have done amazing and are fighting for everything, which they need to do, of course. It’s difficult but I thought we showed a bit of authority today all round with our professionalism and the shape of the team.”

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said he found it difficult to understand why his team were not awarded a penalty.

The Tractor Boys had wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead through Clarke as he skied his effort high over the bar and they were then also denied a spot-kick when Oliver was called to the VAR screen before reversing his initial call.

McKenna said: “It ends up a poor day for us, the margins in the first half were very small in between us producing a good performance and being in a good place at half-time.

“The goals they scored from our point of view are poor goals and unfortunately the penalty decision I find really hard to understand so I think the margins were very small.

“We go in at half-time 2-0 down and in the second half our response was not good enough against a strong, experienced Premier League side and we weren’t good enough to get us back in the game.

“I find it inexplicable how it (the penalty) can be overruled. At the time it looked like a penalty, it felt like a penalty but of course I’m saying that through an Ipswich lens.

“Jack dribbled past and was about to shoot and every chance it’s a goal and Dwight McNeil lunges across the line of the ball in the penalty area which I don’t think you can do. He stopped Jack taking his shot.

“I think it’s a penalty… I think it was a very poor decision.”