Everton defender Michael Keane praised their spirit for the weekend preseason friendly win at Blackpool.

Everton bounced back from their 4-0 thrashing by Minnesota in the US.

“The lads are steadily getting fitter and sharper," said Keane to the club's website.

“The shape worked better, we were more solid and made fewer mistakes and were better on the ball.

“It was a much better day and we needed it.

“The manager was critical in the changing room after [Minnesota match], what was said stays between us, but we knew it wasn't good enough.

“We wanted to bounce back and bring positive energy to the team and we did that.

“We started brightly and controlled most of the game. It was the response we needed.

“[The objective over the next two weeks] is to get fitter, we are getting there slowly, it is a gradual process and these games are helping.

“We need to ramp it up and make sure we are in top condition for the Chelsea game.

"Tactically, we have things to work on… there are things we need to improve, so there is a lot of work to do on the training ground."