Everton marked the first anniversary of Sean Dyche’s appointment by slipping into the relegation zone on Tuesday. The worrying position belies the undoubted progress that the Everton manager has overseen since replacing Frank Lampard but, before demanding fixtures against Tottenham and at Manchester City, his team urgently need to rediscover the spark that has gone missing since the 2-1 defeat by Ange Postecoglou’s team before Christmas. Injuries and constant demands on a small pool of reliable first-team players have caught up with Everton, who have not won in five Premier League matches and suffered morale-sapping home defeats in both cup competitions since last collecting three points at Burnley on 16 December. Dyche’s reign commenced with a tireless home win over north London opposition 12 months ago, when title-chasing Arsenal were beaten 1-0. With the club’s appeal against a 10-point deduction for a breach of financial rules offering no guarantees, he is back to square one in terms of another relegation dogfight. Andy Hunter
Brighton set for a frantic derby
The M23 derby is perhaps matched only by the storied Watford-Luton rivalry for fearsome intensity, and Crystal Palace visit Brighton with both managers under some pressure. After a promising start, Roberto De Zerbi’s team have won only one of their past eight league games, scoring a meagre six goals in the process – and four of those came in that solitary victory. They shipped four in a midweek thrashing at Luton, and it’s hard not to wonder if their idiosyncratic style, baiting teams in before springing, has been rumbled. Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, could scarcely be making less of his young, talented players. On Tuesday, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze scored and created all three of his side’s goals as they scraped by Sheffield United, the league’s bottom club, to record their second win in their last 11 games; the vibe at Selhurst is not good. As such, it could be a frantic, desperate afternoon in Sussex – exactly as a derby should be. Daniel
Time running out for Fulham’s Brazilian strikers
Fulham reached an unwanted milestone on Tuesday with their goalless draw against Everton at Craven Cottage. It was the 10th time this season that Marco Silva’s side have failed to score in a Premier League game, surpassing any other goal-shy rivals in the top flight, and Raúl Jiménez’s hamstring injury heightens the manager’s concerns over where the remedy will come from. Since a prolific burst of 16 goals in four league games up until early December, Fulham have scored in one of their past six Premier League matches. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer away from home. Neither Rodrigo Muniz nor Carlos Vinícius have provided the cutting edge that a team with creative talent requires, as the Aleksandar Mitrovic-sized hole continues to stifle Fulham’s development. The duo need to step up at Burnley. Their opportunities are likely to be limited even further once the transfer window reopens this summer.