Everton 1-0 Man Utd: Toffees deliver on Frank Lampard's promise of 'fight, focus and desire'

Frank Lampard promised Everton fans they would see a side "with fight, focus and desire" when they faced Manchester United on Saturday with their Premier League status looking increasingly precarious.

And for all the Toffees' shortcomings, they were as good as Lampard's word as they recorded a 1-0 win over embarrassingly timid opponents that may yet prove to be one of their most crucial in recent years.

Everton went into this lunchtime fixture off the back of a devastating defeat at fellow strugglers Burnley, a late collapse to concede a lead adding to their pain, and the tension was palpable in the streets around Goodison Park hours before kick-off.

As well as delivering what Lampard insisted they would, Everton received a helping hand from a Manchester United side that heaped fresh mediocrity on a season overdosing on that particular commodity.

There have been whispers that some within this dysfunctional United squad are underwhelmed by the notion of Ajax coach Erik ten Hag being their next manager.

If this is the case, just imagine how underwhelmed Ten Hag would be by them if he was watching this.

Everton's Anthony Gordon has been directly involved in five goals (four goals, one assist) in his past six Premier League starts at Goodison Park, while he has either scored (four) or assisted (one) five of the Toffees' past seven home goals in the competition

The further good news for any dissenting voices is that they are unlikely to be troubled by his presence for long, because if Ten Hag is the sound judge the experts say he is, plenty of feet will not touch the floor on the way out of Old Trafford anyway.

In the wider context, however, this day was more about Everton's win than United's loss, no matter how shocking Ralf Rangnick's side were.

Everton did not produce moments of high quality, although match-winner Anthony Gordon and Richarlison fully deserved the plaudits and affection they received from an exultant Goodison Park, but what they had were the qualities Lampard assured an increasingly panicky fanbase they would.

They fought for every challenge, launched into the 50-50s and were prepared to put head and body on the line. In contrast, United were timid and flimsy, barely willing to raise a gallop even in the closing stages, when the suggestion they were "chasing" an equaliser flatters their approach.

Lampard brought back the experience of influential but injury-plagued Fabian Delph, his troubles underscored by the statistic that his past three league starts have come in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

He received a standing ovation when fatigue got the better of him, while the return of Allan after suspension added further steel.

Everton have won three of their five Premier League home games under Frank Lampard and have managed consecutive Premier League victories at Goodison Park for the first time since September

"In these situations I'm the biggest advocate of youth and young players, but the balance of the team is important," Lampard said. "Experienced players make the big difference. They've been around the block. Fabian brought that to us with his positional play. Jordan Pickford made a save at the end as well - that's why he's England's number one."

Everton's fans groaned when the board went up for five minutes of stoppage time, and there was one moment that could have changed everything when Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance but the outstanding Pickford made a crucial block singled out by his manager.

It would have been harsh on Everton because their determination alone made them worthy winners. United deserved, and got, nothing.

Everton's followers scanned a testing fixture list with increasing anxiety after that Turf Moor loss, and it is clear Goodison Park will be a key factor in their survival hopes, with supporters driving the players on.

To emphasise that fact, this result means Everton have gained 22 of their 28 Premier League points this season from games at Goodison, the highest home ratio (79%) in the competition.

They snatched a late, late win against Newcastle United here and these three points may be treasured come the end of the season.

Lampard has, for any early flaws, weaponised the power of Goodison and it is clear the vast majority of fans are behind him in a way that never applied to his divisive predecessor Rafael Benitez.

And the feeling is mutual as Lampard went to the Gwladys Street End, the beating heart of Everton's support, after the final whistle in full-on fist-pump mode, this after breaking his hand celebrating Alex Iwobi's winner against Newcastle.

"It feels really good - big win, big day," said Lampard. "The reality of our position is clear. You could feel that in the stadium. The fighting spirit and qualities we showed are big for us. We need to carry that on. We need to replicate that and if we do, we're confident.

"The fans are huge for us. One of the reasons we are good here is because of them. A few groans are normal. What the fans relate to is the reaction. When they see that, we see this joined-up thing at this stadium. We need to replicate that away somehow."

In contrast to Everton's joy, United's players sloped off after another 90 minutes not worthy of the shirt they were wearing.

Even those hardy souls packed into a corner of Goodison Park seemed sick of the sight they were watching by the end, with only half-hearted shouts of "we want the Glazers out" aimed at the club's owners, followed by a whisper of "going down" to Everton's fans as they waited for the final whistle.

Everton will not be going down if they face opposition as compliant as Manchester United in their remaining games. The odds are that they will not, and Lampard knows better than anyone there is still much work to do.

He has suffered in recent weeks as has tried to find a way with a squad that has let down a succession of managers, but here was the template for what Everton will need to repeat in their final eight games.

So much rests on them and Everton will still be eyeing every result around the bottom of the table - but the scenes of jubilation and thunderous noise that swept around Goodison Park at the final whistle illustrated just how much this meant.

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