The Toffees beat Brentford 4-1 at Goodison Park via a dominant Everton performance that sees the Blues proceed to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Frank Lampard secures his first win in his first ever game as Everton manager and puts the passion back into Goodison Park.
A headed goal from substitute Yerry Mina put the blues one goal up in the first half.
Richarlison opened the second half with a beautiful one-touch finish to put the Toffees two ahead.
A penalty was given away by Jordan Pickford and finished calmly by the number 17, Ivan Toney, 5 minutes later to make it 2-1.
All doubts were put to bed by goals from Mason Holgate and Andros Townsend soon after, finishing the game 4-1 and putting Everton into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Super Frank Lampard
Just one look at Frank Lampard’s first goal celebration tells you everything about how much this job means to the ex Chelsea man. For many fans, this kind of passion hasn’t been felt by any long-term manager for a very long time.
New manager Frank Lampard took no time in implementing his style of play in to this Everton side. With Rafa Benitez’s implementation of a 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 proving unsuccessful, Lampard’s 3-4-3 was a welcome change for the Toffees, which the players relished.
Everton looked dangerous coming forward with standout performances by the three forwards and Andre Gomes, who had an exceptional game. Both in the first and second half, fans were at last treated to some fantastic football, with great half chances created by Richarlison and encouraging efforts by rising star Anthony Gordon. The passing play looked slick, and players looked far more confident in Lampard’s new system.
An extra man in defence helped solidify Everton’s backline, making it much more difficult for the Brentford boys to break down the Toffees.
It was disappointing to see Ben Godfrey come off with a Hamstring injury in the first half. Godfrey finally was starting to look confident coming forward again, so it was incredibly annoying to see the York-born defender having to be replaced early on.
However, Yerry Mina introduction proved to be a great success, showing the 43-year-old what a lethal weapon the Colombian is on set pieces. With Lampard’s three at the back, this could indeed give the Colombian more license to come forward for free kicks and corners.
Vitaliy Mykolenko & Séamus Coleman May Struggle
Vitali Mykolenko and Seamus Coleman are two players that could struggle in Frank Lampard’s 3-4-3 formation.
A fairly average performance from Mykolenko suggests question marks regarding his ability to come forward with menace like Lucas Digne. He’s yet to show the passing range that could replace Lucas Digne and looks somewhat uncomfortable coming too far forward. With it only being his second appearance for the Toffees, hope is most definitely not lost on this promising 22-year-old. But this problem may need to be rectified sooner than later by Frank Lampard, who has likely already spotted Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray’s preference to drive through the middle as oppose to down the wing.
Coleman also looked somewhat out of his depth with these new tactics, with the Irish international looking unable to provide that killer pass or lightning pace to take Everton’s wingback play to the next level. With the 33 year-old slowly starting to show signs of ageing, Lampard may try to bring in Scottish wonder-kid, Nathan Patterson to replace him. A player that could provide that width and pace down the right flank.
Final Thoughts
This was an extremely positive introduction for the new gaffer and a game that Everton fans should feel as a turning point for the Toffees.
Just over 2 months ago, we were comfortably dealt with at the Brentford Community Stadium in an uneventful 1-0 defeat to the Premier League newbies. A 4-1 victory is an incredible turnaround from that match in November.
Frank Lampard has a vision. He has a style of play that excites, and just like his first two signings for the club, a serious point to prove and passion to go with it.
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