After his men dominated Leeds 3-0 to move five points clear of the relegation zone, Frank Lampard declared himself “absolutely delighted” besides emphasizing that “it’s only a start” after they recorded their first Premier League win under him at Goodison Park.
The Toffees surged ahead 2-0 up in the first half courtesy of smashing headers from defenders Seamus Coleman and Michael Keane in the 10th and 23rd minutes, respectively.
Rodrigo then struck the hosts’ bar in between and repeated the feat late in the first half, before Richarlison’s 78th-minute shot was beautifully slotted in off Anthony Gordon to wrap up the victory for Lampard’s men, who finally advanced five points clear of the relegation zone.
Lampard – whose tenure had begun with a 4-1 FA Cup win over Brentford last Saturday, but lost 3-1 at Newcastle in the league three days later – said: “I’m absolutely delighted.
“From minute one, right through the game, against a really good team… Leeds are a fantastic team, we saw it against Aston Villa in the week (a 3-3 draw), they never stop, great quality, but we didn’t allow them anything today.
“I know they hit the bar from distance, but in terms of our effort, our work rate, the nature of the team, how we wanted to play, how compact we were, some of the quality play, opportunities created, we created so many good opportunities in the game – I’m really happy.
“I’ve been here two weeks, it’s only a start, that’s for sure and I won’t get overexcited. But I can enjoy it. Seeing my team play like that was everything we wanted.”
The Evertonians’ second league win in 16 league outings, and a first in seven – Everton’s first clean sheet since early November, achieved without the likes of injured duo Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey – took the 16th-placed Merseyside outfit to within a point of Marcelo Bielsa’s 15th-placed outfit.
Lampard added: “Credit to the lads. Defending is a team effort and it starts from the front and that was what was so enjoyable and good about today.
“The front men, the wide men jumping out to people, the compact nature of the team, and then when you do have to defend, which Leeds will always make you in your box, we dealt with things great.
“It’s a good thing for the team to feel the confidence of a clean sheet. I know it’s been a while, we’ll keep working on that and it’s so integral to getting us to where we want to be. It was a huge part of the game for us today.”