97 touches, 82 passes, 4 dribbles; £22m Everton man already looks revitalised under Lampard
Everton boss Frank Lampard had a near-perfect debut on Saturday as his Toffees progressed to the FA Cup fifth round.
The Blues did so in style, running out 4-1 winners over Brentford at Goodison Park.
Everton fans gave Lampard a rapturous welcome at Goodison and he rewarded them with a sublime display.
The Toffees took the lead in the 31st minute, the first time Everton went ahead in a game since 23 October.
Yerry Mina, who replaced the injured Ben Godfrey, powered home from Demarai Gray’s corner.
Everton then doubled their advantage early on in the second half.
Richarlison clipped Allan’s inviting pass over the onrushing David Raya in the 48th minute.
Brentford pulled one back six minutes later when Ivan Toney converted from the penalty spot.
However, the impressive Mason Holgate restored Everton’s two-goal advantage just after the hour.
The 25-year-old popped up at the far post to nod home a deflected Gray corner.
And Andros Townsend added gloss to the result with a drilled effort in stoppage time.
Most of Everton’s players shone on the day, with Andre Gomes delivering arguably his best performance for a while.
The £22million man has struggled due to injuries and loss of form over the past few years.
However, it looks as though Lampard has already worked some magic on Gomes.
The Portuguese midfielder was neat and tidy in possession, and got the ball forward plenty of times.
Gomes clocked up some impressive stats during the game.
As per Whoscored, he took the most touches (97) and made the most passes (82) out of any player in the match.
He also completed four dribbles, made two successful long passes, won nine duels, and chipped in with two tackles.
It was great to see Gomes deliver such a superb display – he already looks revitalised under Lampard. And long may it continue.
