Burnley 3, Everton 2: Chris Boden's verdict on a big win for the Clarets

It was the end of an era on Sunday night, as BBC drama Peaky Blinders came to a thrilling climax after 10 years and six series.

Clarets boss Sean Dyche is a big fan of the gangster saga, set a century ago in Birmingham, which saw Tommy Shelby go “on a journey from the backstreets to the corridors of power”.

Similarly, Dyche approaches a decade in charge, where he has taken Burnley from mid-table mediocrity in the Championship to the top table, including a European tour in 2018.

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But, after six-successive seasons in the Premier League, it had started to feel like the greatest chapter in the club's modern history was coming to an end.

Ahead of the Everton game, Burnley were in a sticky situation, although numerous clubs had produced Great Escapes from worse predicaments.

Asked whether he took inspiration from those examples, Dyche had said: "We shouldn't need inspiration - we have our own from what we've done.

"Never forget, this town, this club, where it is now from where it was...massive inspiration to each other.

"Strength comes from within."

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It was akin to Tommy's toast to the surviving Shelby's in the finale: "To family. Sometimes it is shelter from the storm, sometimes it is the storm itself."

And during what felt a winter storm, with incessant rain and hail, that strength from within provided respite in Burnley's time of need.

The sanctuary of the dressing room helped change the course of a game which had threatened to run away from the Clarets after a perfect start.

Burnley had to begin on the front foot, and they did, with Ashley Westwood agonisingly close from finding the top corner from the edge of the area, before, after 12 minutes, Maxwel Cornet’s corner to the far post was volleyed in by returning centre back Nathan Collins for his first goal for the club.

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Everything was going to plan, with Dyche, like Tommy Shelby, appearing one step ahead.

However, six minutes later, talented young wide man Anthony Gordon went rather easily to ground after feeling a hand from Westwood in his back, and Mike Dean pointed to the spot, with Richarlison stuttering before sending Nick Pope the wrong way from the spot.

As a result, Burnley were struck by nerves, their organisation shot, and Richarlison had a shot deflected over, before the Brazilian squandered a great chance to play Dominic Calvert-Lewin in.

And just before half-time, Ukranian left back Vitaliy Mykolenko cut inside former Toffee Aaron Lennon and flicked both his heels up in the air under minimal contact.

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Dean was unmoved, but Stockley Park urged him to look at the screen, and he gave the penalty, with Richarlison again winning the battle of wits with Pope.

It looked a big ask for Burnley to turn things round at the break, but Dyche formulated a plan – pointing to Everton’s miserable away record, which had seen them claim six six points on the road all season: “We thought there was an edge we could attack them.

"At half-time I said let's go back to basics with a bit of shape and quality."

And while it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing 45 minutes, and the Clarets rode their luck at times, they showed the character we have come to expect to find a couple of moments of quality.

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After Richarlison hit the bar after Gordon played him in, Burnley levelled just before the hour as the colossal James Tarkowski held off Calvert-Lewin and found Charlie Taylor, who did superbly well to beat Jonjoe Kenny and drive to the byeline, before picking out Jay Rodriguez to comprehensively finish.

Burnley could smell blood, although Pope had to save from a Richarlison overhead kick from a Kenny cross, before Tarkowski got back to block from Gordon after a slip from Collins.

The Clarets built a head of steam, as Jordan Pickford was forced to turn over a right-foot effort from Cornet, and Collin found the side-netting after a neat one-two with Josh Brownhill.

And five minutes from time, after a sliced Pickford clearance, Taylor’s centre was sliced by Ben Godfrey to substitute Matej Vydra, who showed the presence of mind to pull the ball back for Cornet, who rammed home his seventh goal of the season, and first in nine Premier League outings since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

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As Turf Moor went wild, the white shirts of Everton slumped to the ground.

They were handed four minutes of injury time to rescue a point, in which time substitute Salomon Rondon sent a volley inches wide, but Burnley held on for a fifth home Premier League win against the Toffees, to move within a point of their opponents and safety, with nine games to play.

As Dyche said after the game: “It is only one win. I said to the players, enjoy it, good atmosphere in the changing room, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. We've got nine more of those to go, but it certainly puts us on a platform.”

But hopes will now be high that the Clarets can do themselves another huge favour and pick up another positive result at bottom side Norwich on Sunday – after the Toffees have hosted Manchester United at Goodison Park.

Defeat on Wednesday night would have been unthinkable, leaving the Clarets seven points from safety, but all of a sudden they are right back in the mix, battling for their Premier League status.