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Ashley Williams hoping Everton can use Arsenal win to sink Liverpool in Merseyside derby
EVERTON defender Ashley Williams claims his team-mates have come through a period of "soul searching" as they head into the Merseyside derby looking to make life miserable for Liverpool.
Ashley Williams hopes Everton can use Arsenal win to help beat rivals Liverpool
The Toffees addressed a slump in form and reignited their season with a rousing 2-1 victory over Premier League high flyers Arsenal at Goodison Park on Tuesday.
Williams, who joined Everton from Swansea for £12m in the summer, bagged a dramatic late winner against the Gunners to seal Everton's first win since October.
Everton boss Ronald Koeman had started to receive flak from the club's fans following a run which had seen them win just once in 10 Premier League fixtures.
Williams scoring Everton's winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Arsenal last night
But the Wales centre-back hopes the result will be a turning point in a campaign which had begun to show signs of faltering recently.
"We've been really trying to get back on it, not accepting things and raising the standards of our play and stuff. I think you saw that against Arsenal," said Williams.
"Hopefully now this gives us confidence. We have just beaten Arsenal now got one of the biggest games of the season, if not the biggest, coming up. Hopefully we can build on it.
Ronald Koeman has come under criticism from Everton fans in recent games
"There has been a bit of soul searching, we have spoken about it, we have all looked at ourselves in the mirror and asked what we could do different and do better."
Everton have not beaten Liverpool in a Merseyside derby since October 2010.
And Williams believes the club's supporters will expect a display of a similar ilk to the Arsenal win to correct that statistic against their city rivals next Monday.
"That's the kind of performance these fans expect," said the 32-year-old. "The fight was there with a bit of quality too."