Everton 2 Burnley 0
While Merseyside will host a Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, it may yet stage Europa League football in July.
Everton remain in the race for seventh place with a fourth straight home win and while their destiny is out of their hands, Leicester still have to visit Manchester City and Wolves must go to Liverpool. Everton's neighbours could yet help book them a place in continental competition. Ben Mee's own goal and Seamus Coleman's strike continued Everton's spring surge as they added Burnley to Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United on their impressive list of scalps at Goodison Park.
As Everton exerted early pressure, Burnley's supporters made their own entertainment by barracking Jordan Pickford with chants of "England's No 4," referencing their own trio of international goalkeepers. As Burnley had taken 28 points in 17 games since December's 5-1 demolition by Everton, Tom Heaton has emerged as much the best of their triumvirate of shot-stoppers.
He was nevertheless beaten twice in quick succession as Everton turned dominance into goals. Richarlison claimed the first following fine work from Bernard and Gylfi Sigurdsson unleashing a shot that took a telling touch off Mee as it flew past Heaton. It was debited as a Mee own goal, denying Richarlison a 15th strike of a productive first season at Goodison Park.
If the right winger has become a frequent finisher, Coleman is an irregular one but the right-back did find himself on the scoresheet. The Irishman was on hand to head in the rebound when Heaton pushed Lucas Digne’s shot into his path. It was just his second strike in 27 months and, after some awkward outings earlier in the season when he was returning from injury, his form has improved with Everton’s of late.
He is a reason why they had not conceded at Goodison Park since February. For a moment, Ashley Barnes thought he had pulled a goal back. Barnes' abilities as an irritant can disguise his quality and he met Robbie Brady's cross with a sweetly-struck volley. However, he was adjudged offside.
But it was an isolated threat as Everton accumulated 12 attempts at goal before the break, signalling their attacking threat on their own turf in the last couple of months.
Marco Silva had passed up the chance to show a sentimental streak, naming both Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka on the bench. Both veterans are out of contract in the summer and it could be farewell to men who have served Everton for a combined total of 24 years, making almost 800 appearances. Instead, Everton paid tribute to great servants of an earlier generation before kick-off as they unveiled a statue of Alan Ball, Colin Harvey and Howard Kendall, their beloved holy trinity. A modern-day Everton midfielder, Morgan Schneiderlin, was the recipient of a late challenge that brought Ashley Westwood a booking.
Silva had to replace Richarlison when he hobbled off a few minutes into the second half. Theo Walcott, a scorer as a substitute in the previous home game against Manchester United, replaced him and slotted in seamlessly.
Burnley had chances, falling to Chris Wood and Barnes, while it is a bugbear of Sean Dyche's that they are rarely awarded spot kicks and the substitute Matej Vydra was denied a penalty after a collision with the former Claret Michael Keane. Otherwise, however, Everton continued to exert control as they held on, and substitute Ademola Lookman hit the bar late on.
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