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EPL Dwight Mc Neil looked back to his best for Everton against Burnley James Gill - Danehouse via Getty Images Eighty-seven minutes into Everton’s 2-0 win against Burnley on Tuesday, Hill Dickinson Stadium rose in unison to applaud a job well done. Save for the two goals, scored by James Tarkowski and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, it was probably the loudest the ground had been all night. Dwight Mc Neil deserved his moment. Advertisement The 26-year-old winger trudged off the field slowly — no doubt tired after an all-action performance, but also like a player savouring every second. Why would he not after the couple of months he has had? The story is well-known by now. Deemed surplus to requirements at Everton, Mc Neil saw a deadline day loan-with-obligation move to Crystal Palace collapse late on. He had undergone a medical and a deal sheet had been filed, granting Palace a further two hours after the deadline to complete the move, but the final paperwork never arrived. The deadline passed without further communication from the south London club. Mc Neil was devastated. Over the past year, he has also supported his partner Megan through health issues. Mc Neil was given time to come to terms with what happened on deadline day. While he resumed training almost immediately, his manager David Moyes chose to leave him out of the Everton squad for the following games against Fulham and Bournemouth. It took until Saturday’s 3-2 win at Newcastle United for Mc Neil to return to action, almost a month after his last outing. That went just about as expected, given his lack of minutes. Mc Neil showed understandable signs of rust at first and struggled with Newcastle’s physicality, but he also delivered a typically hard-working display and saw his shot spilled by goalkeeper Nick Pope before Beto scored Everton’s second. Tuesday’s display was a marked improvement, a “step up in level”, according to his close friend and team-mate Tarkowski. Mc Neil’s standout moment came in the build-up to Dewsbury-Hall’s effort as he drifted inside, exchanged passes with Beto and fed Iliman Ndiaye. Stationed on the right, he was comfortable receiving the ball infield and proved to be one of his side’s most dangerous outlets in general play, always looking for an opening. One slaloming run from deep drew applause from a crowd he had won over through skill and sheer endeavour. Mc Neil has struggled for form this season and has often looked off the pace, but he made 10 recoveries on Tuesday, as well as seven passes into the final third. The ovation at the end capped a positive night, with Everton winning at home for the first time in seven league games. Advertisement The winger’s efforts did not go unnoticed. The former Burnley player received a pat on the back and warm words from Moyes on his way off, then high-fives from the Everton bench. At the end, he was hugged by club captain Seamus Coleman as he made his way down the tunnel. “Dwight did great, ” Moyes said in Tuesday’s post-match press conference. “There was a difference in this (compared to) his other performances which were never at the level of tonight. He played much, much better. “He has been training better and getting more confidence. They (the crowd) nearly gave him a standing ovation. That tells me that everyone thought he played well. ” Mc Neil has been able to call on support from Everton’s player care team, as well as team-mates such as Tarkowski, since the failed move to Palace. Asked whether he had needed to put an arm around Mc Neil’s shoulder, Tarkowski told reporters: “Yeah, a little. We’re pals, so we’re always chatting. Sometimes I give him a bit of love, sometimes a stern word if I need to. “When you’re close pals, you can do that. But his training levels have been terrific since then (deadline day), and he’s really kicked on and dealt with it really well. He’s shown us what he’s all about. ” Mc Neil’s displays in training convinced Moyes to pick him at Newcastle after a month out in the cold. The Scot said after Saturday’s win that his message had been to “get on with it” and that he had not treated Mc Neil any differently from other squad members. Tough love? Perhaps. But those methods appear to be paying off. Tuesday was Mc Neil’s best display of the season by some distance, and earned him Everton’s man of the match award. “I’m so proud of him and pleased, ” Tarkowski, who also played with Mc Neil at Burnley, said. “He’s had so much going on but he’s dealt with it so well. His training levels have been through the roof and that’s why he’s in the team. Advertisement “I thought he was terrific at the weekend and he stepped up another level tonight. The way he received the ball, carried it, his work rate. The way he was beating people. “It was the Dwight I’ve known for five or six years but it’s nice people got to see him tonight get back to the player I know he can be. The next challenge is to do it week in, week out. ” There is still a decent chance this will be a marriage of convenience that only lasts as far as the summer. Mc Neil will be out of contract at the end of next season and, unlike some of his team-mates such as James Garner (before his new deal until 2030 was announced in January) and Vitalii Mykolenko, the club do not have the option to extend his deal by a further year. But Moyes is a pragmatist. He picked Mc Neil to do a specific job against Newcastle and clearly trusts him to deliver over young players such as Tyler Dibling and Chelsea loanee Tyrique George. Far tougher tests await, but there may still be a chapter left to write in Mc Neil’s Everton story. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Patrick Boyland has been The Athletic's Everton correspondent since 2019. Prior to joining the company, he worked for ESPN, Mail Online and press agency Sportsbeat, where he covered numerous major sporting events.

Boyland's views on Everton have been sought out by local and national media, while he is also a regular on a number of podcasts focusing on the club.

Follow him on Twitter: @Paddy_Boyland