Micheal Keane is not surprised to see Clarets flying high

One-time Burnley defender Michael Keane isn't surprised to see his former club performing so well in the Premier League.
Michael Keane challenges Chris Wood for the ballMichael Keane challenges Chris Wood for the ball
Michael Keane challenges Chris Wood for the ball

The Everton centre back, who moved to Goodison Park in the summer, admitted that he was pleased to see the Clarets prospering in the top flight, though not at the expense of his new employers.

The England international failed to get one over on his old team mates as Jeff Hendrick’s strike midway through the first half settled the fixture in Merseyside.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The victory, Burnley’s first at Everton since 1976, kept the club’s impressive unbeaten record intact as they climbed to sixth in the table.

With wins against champions Chelsea and draws at Spurs and Liverpool also on their resume, Keane said: “No it doesn’t surprised me with the way they work and the message from the staff there. They have a lot of great players and they recruited well in the summer. I’m not surprised by it.

“They are the games I loved playing for Burnley when you are 1-0 up and defending for your lives. That is what you relish. It’s a normal day at the office for the Burnley players and they did well today.

“It’s not easy for any team to break them down. They keep their shape really well. They are brave, put their bodies on the line.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It has to be something special to break them down or a mistake which is very rare from Burnley. It’s difficult but we felt like we had the quality here to do it. We just couldn’t do it.”

The 24-year-old, who scored seven goals in 100 league appearances during his time at Turf Moor, believes that Burnley’s confidence stemmed from their triumph at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend.

“I think that was massive for Burnley. It took a long time to get that last year so to do it on the opening day gives you a bit of freedom going into the others.

“They’ve had a few other brilliant results away from home as well. We knew it would be a tough day today. All the lads were desperate to win before the game.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It felt like we were really on it but Burnley scored a good goal and then that sort of put us on the back foot for 10 minutes.

“They defended really well, got some good blocks in, they kept their shape really well and it’s difficult to break that down. When we resort to crossing, we had two players up front, but Tarky and Ben were eating it up all day.”

And on the performance of his previous defensive comrades, he added: “I’ve seen a few games and spoken to a few lads who have said he (James Tarkowski) has done really well.

“I thought he did well today, he put in a lot of blocks and was solid. Ben (Mee) has done well and been consistent as he always is. It’s nice to see them doing well. Obviously I wanted to win today but it’s nice to see Burnley doing well.”