View: Three things learned in Everton 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace
Everton fell to a shocking 4-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter final yesterday afternoon [March 20].
The Blues started both halves with great intent, but a series of defensive blunders cost them dearly as Patrick Viera’s side ran rampant at Selhurst Park.
Despite missing out on a trip to Wembley and 90 minutes of football away from a final, there was a silver apparent lining.
Frank Lampard and his players can now focus solely on Premier League survival from now until the end of the season which is definitely a positive but not one the Toffees fans will be overjoyed about.
Here are three things we at Goodison News learned from the game…
Arrogant Lampard
Lampard has picked up a lot of scrutiny over his comments after the game. The former Chelsea boss urged the players to take responsibility for the result which you can understand with individual mistakes leading to the horror result in London.
At the end of the day though, he is the man selecting the team and working on the system that they play which simply hasn’t been good enough of late.
It is about time the boss starts taking some responsibility himself rather than shifting the blame onto his players before the fanbase begins to sour.
Nowhere near a trophy
It would have been great to take a huge step closer to ending the Blues’ trophy drought, having waited since 1995, but this group simply doesn’t deserve it.
That is a bizarre thing to admit because Everton are a club with an immensely rich history – one of the most successful teams in English football.
The way this team are playing says Championship more than Champions and the shambolic defeat to Crystal Palace is the perfect demonstration of that. Imagine how embarrassing it could get against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City or Chelsea.
Away woes go from bad to worse
One of Lampard’s key objectives was to shore up the Toffees’ away record and he has completely failed. The team are still putting in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ performances.
At Goodison Park they look capable with good displays against Leeds, Manchester City and Newcastle as well as some emphatic cup games to boost the morale at the club.
The away performances have been disgusting though. They never ever look like winning or even scoring for that matter. Those who travel in support of the Blues should be calling for their money back. It is a disgrace.
In other Everton news, View: the Blues fans will be furious with Frank Lampard after his recent comments.
Be sure to follow Goodison News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on Everton plus more exclusive interviews with Kevin Campbell.