Everton 3-0 Crystal Palace: Toffees end three-game losing run with victory over Eagles

In his playing career, Frank Lampard beat Patrick Vieira only once in 13 games. In just five months, the Englishman has two wins over the Frenchman as manager and once again had Dominic Calvert-Lewin to thank as Everton proved too good against Crystal Palace with a devastating display.

On his first home start of the season, Calvert-Lewin gave Everton an early lead with a beautifully taken goal before Anthony Gordon tapped in to double their advantage and Dwight McNeil took the three points with Everton’s third, six minutes from time, to cap a great all-round Everton achievement.

This was a far cry from when these two sides met in May when Everton made a stunning comeback to secure their Premier League status, leading to a field invasion. Nevertheless, Lampard was still under pressure with the Blues going into the game after three successive defeats and surprisingly went in with an unchanged squad after their midweek defeat at Newcastle.

Lampard had asked for managers to be given more time after Steven Gerrard’s sacking from Aston Villa, praising Mikel Arteta’s job at Arsenal as an example and in his program notes calling for his side to improve after a poor performance at Aston Villa . Saint Jacob’s Park. They certainly did that for their home help.

The Blues had failed to get a shot on target in their last two appearances, but they ran out of the blocks and played with purpose and a pace that Patrick Vieira’s side just couldn’t handle. Just eleven minutes later, Calvert-Lewin came home in style after a furious Everton press led by their number nine selves. It was no less than Everton deserved.

Palace skipper Luka Milivojevic lost the ball under pressure and Amadou Onana found Alex Iwobi, who passed the ball to Calvert-Lewin on the edge of the penalty area. His first touch was too good for Marc Guehi as he slid past the Palace defender and with his second he finished past Vicente Guaita in the bottom corner for his first goal of the season and the first since his goal against Palace in May that put Everton on the grid. kept leg.

The celebrations that followed were not as dramatic as that night, but this was another reminder to the faithful in Gwladys Street and a Gareth Southgate present in Goodison Park of what he can do when he is fit and firing. His presence undoubtedly adds an extra dimension to this Everton side.

Calvert Lewin’s strike took him past Kevin Campbell and to 4th in the all-time Premier League goalscorers list for Everton with 46 to his name. Only Romelu Lukaku, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill have more.

But this was an all-round performance from Everton. The bond between Iwobi and Anthony Gordon in particular was far too good for Palace and Gordon nearly got two with a stabbing blow that pushed Guaita over the bar.

As the half progressed, Palace grew in the game. Wilfried Zaha – the scorer of their winner against Palace on Tuesday night – tested Pickford before Joachim Andersen’s header from a corner bounced easily into the hands of England’s number one. But Lampard would have been much happier with the two managers.

Palace had come back from a goal down and have already won three in the league this season and started the second half stronger, first denied by an excellently timed challenge from Seamus Coleman on Zaha in the penalty area, before Vitali Mykolenko beat Jordan and Ayew and Eberechi Eze.

Palace got a lot more of the ball and Olise almost caught Pickford with a free kick from the right side of the box that went narrowly over, but it was as close as they could get.

On the hour Vieira made a double sub, bringing in Jeffrey Schlupp and Jean-Philippe Mateta hoping to make the difference. attack. Guaita was only able to parry Mykolenko’s strike on Anthony Gordon, who came in only to break off his celebrations by the linesman’s flag. Gordon was clearly onside and VAR confirmed that the goal was allowed to stand.

By now, the home crowd celebrated every challenge as a goal and Zaha’s foul on Gordon led to a kick-off with Zaha booked alongside James Tarkowsi, Schlupp and Guehi. Somehow it remained 11 on 11 and Demarai Gray was booked for a late challenge on Guehi, before being taken out by Lampard for Dwight McNeil.

And it was McNeil who sealed the win, starting and ending with another quality move from the team, by driving to the palace defenses and playing it against Iwobi, whose heel put it on record for McNeil to finish. A huge win for Frank Lampard and no doubt a well deserved one.