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I was delighted to receive the man-of-the-match award against Arsenal last weekend when we recorded another excellent win in front of our fans at Goodison Park.
That’s three victories in succession now, following our successes against Chelsea and West Ham United. We are on a great run of form and are determined to keep building and improving as we set our sights on continuing to scale the Premier League table.
We always knew it was going to be a tough game against Arsenal but starting the match like we did, full of energy and playing at a high tempo, was key to securing the three points. We were aware that Arsenal were going to occupy a lot of the ball but I felt we shocked them at times with our work-rate.
From the first five minutes in the match, when I managed to spin in behind their defence, Arsenal’s centre-backs dropped deep and it allowed me a lot of space.
It’s important when playing as a lone striker that you do all these things, such as holding up the ball, running the channels and working hard for the team. If you are not going to score, you have to ask yourself how you can still affect the game. That’s what I tried to do and I came away after the final whistle pleased that I had played my part in an important win.
Personally, I’m glad things are starting to fall into place now and this run in the team has given me a massive confidence boost.
If I can add more goals to these performances, it will be even more pleasing. I’ve scored eight so far this season, including goals against Cardiff City and Newcastle United recently, and hopefully more will follow before the end of the season.
The manager, Marco Silva, has shown a lot of belief in me and I am grateful for that, but I also understand that I must continue to keep working hard and give 100 per cent in every training session and every time I pull on the Everton shirt.
Our first-team coach and former Everton striker Duncan Ferguson has also been helping me with some valuable input. I’m putting myself about on the pitch and that was a big aspect of his game during his playing career. Duncan is a hero with the Everton fans and he scored more than 70 goals for the Club. I work with him every day on my finishing, so I’m thankful that he is improving me as a player.
It’s important that I thank our fans for their support on Sunday - they certainly played their part in the win. They are so passionate and make Goodison a very difficult place for opponents, creating such a great atmosphere.
We have not conceded a goal in our last three home fixtures and we hope this run can continue until the end of the season, with Manchester United and Burnley still to visit Goodison.
I always had massive belief in the team and it was just a matter of things clicking into place. There was the run where we didn’t manage to beat a top-six team and now we have overcome two - Chelsea and Arsenal - in successive home matches. Things are coming together and we now travel to Fulham today with the aim of making it four straight wins.
The Cottagers have already suffered the disappointment of relegation from the Premier League but that doesn’t make our challenge any easier.
Fulham still have quality in their side and we will need to show the same application and focus that we did against Arsenal if we are to ensure that it will be another happy trip to the capital, just as it was a fortnight ago when we returned to Merseyside after a 2-0 win at West Ham.
