Frank Lampard’s men had been in an abysmal form of late which have seen them slip into relegation scramble and fighting for thier safety, but they put in a spirited performance dispite going down to ten men to claim a narrow 1:0 win over Newcastle.
Everton had lost more league matches in a row under Frank Lampard (4) than they did under Rafa Benitez all season (3 on 3 occasions).After thier 1:0 narrow loss to Wolves, the reality of relegation became more clearer.
Newcastle who has been in a decent form of late winning majority of thier games since the appointment of Eddie Howe and the arrival of big money signing.
The first leg ended in 3:1 defeat of Everton,with Frank Lampard’s side trying to avoid a similar outcome.
Just like they did in thier last match against wolves,they had majority of possession but could not create any clear chances,the Goodison faithful saw thier played out a goaless draw in the first half as they struggled to breakdown the visitors.
Miguel Almiron saw his shot from outside the box saved smartly by Asmir Begovic who got the nod in goal ahead of Pickford.The Bosnian goalkeeper was called into action as he produced a fine save to deny joe willocks
The second was dramatic as a match was delayed after a fan came on the pitch and tied themselves to the post,as the stewards tried to cut him loose.The home side were then reduced to ten men as Allan was shown a straight red after VAR reviewed his tackle on Allan Saint-Maximin.
After five minutes the match restarted with Ben Godfrey who recently returned from injury heading straight at Martin Dubravka, Frank Lampard’s side tried to break the opposition but the center back pairing of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar dealt with it brilliantly.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin who likes playing against Newcastle has scored five PL goals against the Magpies the most he’s managed against a single opponent, he was instrumental as he held up the ball well before pulling the ball back to Iwobi who side footed the ball past Dubravka.
The goal caused wild jubilations with Frank Lampard and the Everton seen in estacy.The goal meant a lot to the Evertonians as thier joy was visible as Alex iwobi’s name echoed throughout the stadium.
Speaking after the match frank Lampard told the press;
“I’ve broken my hand in the celebrations.My bones must be going soft.I don’t remember the moment”.
This win would serve as a huge boost for Frank Lampard’s men as they seek to beat the drop.They would need to start finding thier goal scoring boots if they’re to stand any chance of playing in the premier league next season.