After a nervy few months, Everton finally secured their Premier League status in the most dramatic of fashions last night.
Their fans were surely fearing the worst when their side found themselves 2-0 at halftime at home to Crystal Palace, with a loss in that fixture putting them under serious pressure ahead of the final set of fixtures this weekend.
However, an excellent second half display saw them completely flip the game on its head. Goals from Michael Keane, Richarlison, and a late Dominic Calvert-Lewin header meant that they would eventually run out as 3-2 winners and as a result ensure themselves a place in the top flight for next season.
Goodison Park was met with some joyous scenes as a result, with supporters running onto the pitch to celebrate the victory.
It was certainly an emotional night for the club, with Frank Lampard himself right at the centre of it. Not only did he lead the fans in their celebrations, giving an emotional interview after the game.
Evertonians 🤝 Frank Lampard 💙 pic.twitter.com/cn9c0Tm7at
— Everton Fans' Forum (@EFC_FansForum) May 19, 2022
🗣️"The spirit of the club is immense!"
Frank Lampard reflects on an incredible night for Everton as they came back from 2-0 down to secure their Premier League safety! 👇 pic.twitter.com/WcC8zuhsjB— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 19, 2022
The former England midfielder took over the club at the end of January, experiencing some mixed results. However, he will be happy that the campaign ended on a high note.
Inevitably, many of the usual suspects were quick to come out and praise the job that Lampard has done at Everton.
Frank Lampard took on a difficult job at Everton. Big achievement keeping them up with the mess they were in👏👏
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) May 19, 2022
As I said, never underestimate Frank Lampard. Chuffed for him. 👏👏👏 https://t.co/Um5Yg7OMgL
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 19, 2022
“I’m so happy for Frank!” 👏
“He’s shown his true colours. Low on confidence, and he’s dug them out..”
Jamie O’Hara praises Frank Lampard for turning #EFC’s fortunes around. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/LCls5LKZtG— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 19, 2022
Frank Lampard is the best appointment we’ve made since David Moyes.
He’s not the best manager we’ve appointed, but for a fan base as passionate as ours, he’s connected with us like no other, and you can tell he genuinely, genuinely loves the club already.— Matt (@TacticallyMatt) May 19, 2022
I never ever ever want to hear a bad word said about Frank Lampard coz what he’s done to our club since coming in is nothing short of a fucking miracle. UTFT 💙💙💙
— Liam Rosney (@LiamRosney) May 19, 2022
Of course, the reality is a bit more nuanced than that. While Everton did well to ensure they did not finish in the bottom three, the facts are that they never should have found themselves in that position in the first place. Lampard had a large part to play in that.
Everton are one of the highest spending clubs in Europe over the last five years or so, meaning an incredible amount if mismanagement was required to land them in this position. That was only compounded by the bizarre appointment of Rafael Benitez, who was sacked after a run of one win in 14 games.
Lampard inherited a situation which wasn't necessarily straightforward, but to hail him as some sort of miracle worker is certainly wide of the mark.
When he got the job Everton sat in 14th place, five points above the relegation zone with three-and-a-half months to play with. That is not exactly a death sentence for any manager, with even a modest upturn in form enough to drag them well up the table. Instead, The Toffees were still battling for survival in the final week of the campaign.
They actually moved closer to danger under Lampard and a lot of that was his own doing.
Whereas the port of call for most managers is to establish a clear playing identity, Everton to this day look like a team without a defined system or approach to the game. They change tactics and formation seemingly every week, with Lampard frequently responding to a defeat by tearing up his pervious tactical game plan.
Some would fairly argue that such measures may be required in a relegation dog fight, but it is hardly something that is indicative of someone who is a master tactician.
He does deserve credit for getting the fans back onside, even if they were booing their own players as recently as halftime in last night's game. In saying that, it would have taken quite the character not to win the fans over after replacing arguably the least popular manager in the club's history.
In all, many couldn't understand the sudden love in for Frank Lampard.
The rush to hail Frank Lampard's transformative impact after taking Derby from 6th to 6th then taking Chelsea from 4th to 4th then taking Everton from 16th to 16th. https://t.co/saYdk4WEbw
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) May 19, 2022
Frank Lampard did an ok job at Derby. Then he did an ok job at Chelsea. Now he's doing an ok job at Everton. Genuinely remarkable how polarised opinion on him is when every league finish shows this to be true. No idea why pointing this out upsets so many people!
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) May 19, 2022
Congratulations to Frank Lampard for saving Everton in a relegation battle he got them into. England job next please.
— EAMO (@EamoV1) May 19, 2022
Frank Lampard: The Firefighting Arsonist
Guided Everton from 16th, 4 points above the drop zone with a game in hand to...
16th, 4 points above the drop zone with no games in hand.
Got them into a relegation battle to get them out of won.— Stephen Drennan (@babuyagu) May 19, 2022
I’ll never understand the media attitude towards Frank Lampard. He took over when Everton were 16th, they are now 16th - with majority of the same players who pushed for Europe last season. He hasn’t done any miracle there, those players should never be battling relegation.
— Jack (@UtdJackkkk) May 19, 2022
I’d 100% rather have Frank Lampard take us from 15th to *checks notes* 16th than be off to another European Cup final in seven days 😂 https://t.co/1Yat3oBgnW
— Mark Thomas (@Mark15Thomas) May 20, 2022
Frank Lampard the Hero!
Took over Everton 3 months ago when they were 16th and 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
Today they are 16th and 4 points clear of the relegation zone— Nima ⚽️🇮🇷🇬🇧 (@FPLNima) May 19, 2022
Fair play to Frank Lampard. To take a genuinely huge club like #Everton from 15th and six points clear of the drop to 16th and four points clear is some feat. Onward and upwards, lah.
— Neil Farrington (@Neilfarrington) May 19, 2022
Of course, this is just the latest instance in Frank Lampard's career where he has received a huge amount of praise for what were actually rather average returns. The same was true at both Derby County and Chelsea.
The fact that he is a genuine legend of the game certainly has something to do with that. It's difficult to imagine that Paulo Fonseca would have gotten the same level of praise had he gotten the job in January and achieved an identical set of results.
Next season is set to prove more of a challenge for the manager, where a relegation battle will not be accepted after he has more time with the squad and a transfer window to attempt to shape the team. But for now, the legend of super Frank Lampard lives on...
SEE ALSO: Rafael Benitez Throws Subtle Frank Lampard Dig After Everton Form
