Frank Lampard makes dream start to life at Everton as Toffees thrash Brentford in FA Cup

Goodison Park was full of smiles on Saturday afternoon. Everton unveiled two of their latest signings – Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli – before over 40,000 roaring fans.

Then there was new manager Frank Lampard in the dugout. The former Chelsea boss joined Everton a week ago and his arrival has sparked a lot of fanfare.

After the turmoil that characterized Rafael Benitez’s tenure, which saw the team win just two out of 15 matches, Lampard’s arrival has been a breath of fresh air.

And in 90 minutes, he gave all Evertonians a taste of what to expect in the coming months as the Toffees coasted to a 4-1 win over Brentford in the FA Cup.

Lampard makes winning start

Everton have been largely flat this season but they played with swagger and verve during Saturday’s match against Brentford.

In the end, goals from Yerry Mina, Richarlison, Mason Holgate and Andros Townsend got the job done. But more than just the scoreline, their performance was equally impressive.

Deploying a 3-4-3 formation, Lampard gave his wing-backs the freedom to make marauding runs forward, which caused problems for Brentford's defense.

It was a complete performance from the Toffees. They controlled the game from start to finish and enjoyed 56% of the possession, as Lampard was rewarded with victory in his debut game in charge.

A memorable debut

With the team scoring for fun and dominating the game, it was a memorable debut for Lampard. The 4-1 win is Everton’s biggest victory against top-flight opposition since September 2020 when they defeated West Ham by the same scoreline in the Carabao Cup.

This is only testament to the immediate improvement that Lampard has brought at the club and things can only get better from here.

"It's a day I'll never forget, it was very special, and I can't help but get caught up in the emotion of that for the moment," Lampard told Sky Sports after the game.

"We all hear about the Goodison effect and I've felt it on the other side and we wanted to produce that today and the players did.

"But as much as I was proud of the performance and it gets me excited, I have to calm down now and work towards the league games."

Lampard has a lot to prove, especially after his failed spell at Chelsea. However, his debut at Goodison Park was perfect and should things continue this way, he may be heading to a top-four club sooner rather than later.