'I'm pleased with that' - Everton boss comments on stats that could save them from relegation

Sean Dyche reiterated his delight for Everton's defensive work this season despite their failures at the other end of the pitch.

Goals have been their biggest issue but defensively they've been one of the league's best. The narrative around Everton at the moment is that of doom and gloom - both on and off-the-pitch - however, they can boast the Premier League's fourth-best defence with 33 goals conceded. Plus, they also rank fourth for expected goals against behind Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City which is certainly something to champion.

It could well be the difference between relegation and staying up as the three teams below them - Sheffield United (65) Burnley (55) and Luton (51) - all have conceded far more. In contrast, Everton's attacking record is the league's third-worst with 27 goals which could also be their downfall but, structurally, they are defensively sound.

Speaking ahead of their game against Brighton, Dyche revealed his delight at the fact his side are difficult to score against but admitted the frustration that they haven't been able to get it right at the other end of the pitch, "I'm pleased with that side of things. We ask the players to defend from the front and they're getting better at that. The biggest part of the challenge so far is transitioning into actual goals. I do like the defensive framework of the whole team."

A strong defensive spine backed by a strong keeper in Jordan Pickford, who has a joint-league high eight clean sheets, and a defensive centre-back duo that combines pace, power, heart and desire in James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. They've also contributed strongly at the other end of the pitch as well.

Plus, Vitalyi Mykolenko has been a solid and dependable figure who has shown improvements this season in his one versus one defending. The only position with room for improvement is right-back. Seamus Coleman continues to defy the odds at 35, but Nathan Patterson has struggled for consistency and Dyche has rarely started him in consecutive games. There's also Ben Godfrey and Ashley Young who have deputised there with mixed results.

Nevertheless, their strong structure will mean they should lose less games than the three sides below them in the table - it's just a matter of whether they can force enough goals to pull clear, whether their appeal is successful or not.