BURNLEY gave a demonstration of their evolution in style this season in the most eye-catching way at Goodison Park.

During the opening weeks of the season we’ve seen a greater command of the ball from the Clarets, who have expanded their repertoire from last term and sought to show a greater assurance in possession this year.

The rewards for that were reaped in sensational style midway through the first half as nine of Burnley’s 10 outfield players were involved in a 24 pass move that ended with Jeff Hendrick firing home.

‘Total football’, Joey Barton called it. Others went for ‘liquid football’. However you want to describe it, we can all agree it was a joy to behold.

The Clarets have visibly grown in confidence from last season, especially away from home, where the contrast to the struggles of 2016/17 couldn’t be greater.

Last season Burnley looked nervous away from home, unable to take control of games even as performances gradually improved through the season.

Now they have collected more points on the road in four games than they did in 19 last year, and they’ve done so with visit to four of the top seven, and three of the top four. Undefeated from all of them.

It’s now five unbeaten in the top flight for Sean Dyche’s side, the first time Burnley have achieved that feat since December 1974 to January 1975.

Again it was built on defensive resilience, with Nick Pope rarely troubled, and that magical team goal.

He had to make a routine save early on as Oumar Niasse fired straight at him from the edge of the area before diving low to his left to make a one-handed stop from Gylfi Sigurdsson, who had been found inside the area by Dominic Calvert-Lewin as he got the better of Ben Mee.

Burnley were looking dangerous in possession and a clever pass down the line from James Tarkowski, who had already made a robust block on Niasse, sparked a spell of pressure which saw Robbie Brady’s shot blocked by Ashley Williams and Jordan Pickford punch clear a Matt Lowton cross as Chris Wood tried to touch it home.

That confidence in possession translated to a wonderful Clarets goal midway through the half. Brady’s cross-field pass to Stephen Ward was magnificent. His cross was headed down by Wood to Scott Arfield, who found Ward again with a clever pass and from his cut back Hendrick dropped the shoulder to go past Morgan Schneiderlin before firing home.

Despite a £150million spending spree in the summer Everton have found it tough going this season, and that Clarets goal only added to the sense of unease on and off the pitch.

Before half-time Jack Cork had sliced a volley over, while Wood failed to get a clear connection on a Ward cross as the visitors continued to cause the Toffees problems at the back.

Everton struggled to get up a head of steam in the opening stages of the second half, with a string of wayward passes only increasing anxiety levels.

Niasse, initially frozen out by Ronald Koeman, was their major threat and he sent a header wide from a Leighton Baines centre, before the Toffees boss called on Wayne Rooney to try and provide the spark for a comeback.

The increasing desperation from Everton was leaving spaces to be exploited for the Clarets, with Brady forcing Pickford to block a driven cross that Wood was waiting to tap in.

While Pope had shown confidence in dealing with crosses in the second half he wasn’t forced into a save until five minutes from time when he was down at his near post to keep out Calvert-Lewin’s effort, and that was the end of what little fight the hosts had mustered.