Everton snatched a point at Brentford on Saturday thanks to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's 91st-minute equaliser, coming from behind twice in a 2-2 draw that left both sides level on 47 points. Everton sit eighth, one point behind sixth-placed Chelsea, with six games remaining.
Tarkowski was honest about the performance but satisfied with the point.
"This is a tough place to come. They're a team level on points with us, so it's good that we didn't let them get away from us in that sense. We'll take the point, considering we didn't play great."
He is under no illusions about what the run-in requires.
"The league is so tight, it's ever so tight. There's a lot of teams chasing these positions now, so it's on us," he said. "I've said we need probably two or three special days to get where we want to go, so hopefully we can start that next weekend against Liverpool because that's what's going to get us where we want to be."
Everton head into the derby on the back of a 3-0 home win over Chelsea before the international break, a result that demonstrated they are capable of beating the clubs directly above them. Title-chasing Manchester City also visit Hill Dickinson before the season ends, giving David Moyes' side further opportunities to take points off top-six rivals.
Tarkowski acknowledged the international break came at an awkward moment given the momentum they had built. "The break probably didn't come at a great time for us really, but now we can get back to our home after such a massive win there last time and hopefully go again."
For a club that spent too many recent seasons fighting relegation, the prospect of European football at their new home is a genuine one. Tarkowski and Everton know the window is open — they just need a few moments of quality to climb through it.