Bernard says playing alongside high-quality players at Everton has served to elevate his performances as he revealed his excitement about the team’s “bright future”.
The Blues secured a second successive Premier League victory with a comprehensive 2-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday and Bernard believes the nature of their vibrant display can be the catalyst for a strong finish to the season.
The Brazilian was an instrumental figure as Marco Silva’s team attacked with pace, guile and authority at London Stadium.
The electric winger showcased his expansive range of skills and hit his first Premier League goal, finishing off an incisive team move to double the Toffees’ lead after Kurt Zouma’s opener.
Everton will aim to maintain their momentum when Arsenal visit Goodison Park on Sunday (2.05pm).
Bernard – who was named as man of the match in the success against the Hammers – was one of six full internationals to join Everton last summer.
He says the understanding between the players is constantly developing and insists the Blues boast the talent and belief to further climb the Premier League table.
“It’s easier to perform to your best when you have a lot of quality in the team,” he said.
“If you just look at our midfield, Gylfi [Sigurdsson], Andre Gomes and Idrissa Gana Gueye were excellent against West Ham.
“They are all playing very well, as are the forwards and the defence has been very solid, too.
“The future is bright because there is a lot of quality and the players now know each other better.
“We want to finish the season strongly.”
West Ham came into Saturday’s match unbeaten in their previous six Premier League home matches.
Everton took the game to Manuel Pellegrini’s side from the first whistle, however, with the slick interplay of the Toffees’ attackers repeatedly carving open the Hammers’ defence.
The Blues superiority was underlined by the fact they had 17 shots, with the home side mustering just three efforts on goal throughout the 90 minutes.
Such was Everton’s dominance, manager Silva said his team could have been “three, four or five-nil up at half-time” and Bernard believes more goals will arrive as confidence rises.
“We had a lot of counter-attacks and opportunities to score more goals,” the former Shakhtar Donetsk player added.
“We have to be focussed because if we have the opportunity to score more goals, we have to score.
“It’s nice to see the team has this quality to create chances, though, and I hope in the next matches we can score more.”
