A trip to Newcastle United was the first league game in charge for new Everton boss Frank Lampard. It ended in a 3-1 defeat after the Toffees took the lead.
But the ex-Chelsea man’s side never really got going and soon the Magpies were able to turn things around. A Mason Holgate own goal, a Ryan Fraser tap-in and Kieran Trippier‘s stunning free-kick gave Newcastle all 3 points.
New Everton debutants Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek came off the bench but failed to make an impact. As for the Toon Army, their January signing Kieran Trippier put in his best performance of the season so far.
Lampard cites the Newcastle crowd as a key component
Lampard spoke in a post-match press conference and gave the Magpies credit for the win and performance last night. The crowd were an aspect he feels impacts their play, he stated, “they came out firing. The crowd were lively and they’re very effective in the way they play.” (The Chronicle)
The atmosphere suffered somewhat under the Mike Ashley regime, the previous owner sucked a lot of life out of the club. But with new owners, there’s a massive amount of optimism and St James’ Park is starting to feel like a fortress again.
There were many strong individual performances last night from the Toon Army. One player, in particular, was the French winger, Allan Saint-Maximin. It was important that he showed his capabilities against Everton and he did.
The Everton boss spoke well of the 24-year-old, in the same report he said he was, “pretty unplayable”. The Frenchman got the assist for the second goal which was poked home by Ryan Fraser. Throughout the 90 minutes, he took on anyone in a blue shirt and glided past them most of the time.
It was not the start Frank Lampard would’ve wanted for his first league game in charge. That’s now twice he’s lost his first Premier League game in charge as a manager. Newcastle was great last night and it really puts pressure on the new Everton manager.
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