Frank Lampard was left to rue his side’s missed opportunities after Everton fell to a frustrating 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. Blues loss Lampard said the penalty changed the match but also focused on two huge first-half chances missed by the visitors. Demarai Gray and Amadou Onana both blasted over the bar after going clean through on goal, misses that later proved costly as Everton went on to lose for the second consecutive game. Speaking after the match,
Frank Lampard said: “In the first half [it was] really disciplined, [we] didn’t give Spurs the spaces they wanted. We had two great chances and they can be the difference in these games. If you take one of these chances you probably don’t lose tonight. There’s no doubt we came out in the second half slightly off it. The penalty is the difference in the game – I thought until then everything we were doing was good.”
The Blues failed to land a blow on Spurs after going behind, despite the introduction of James Garner, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon. Lampard said the gulf in quality between the teams then became clear with Spurs – who gave their hopes of progress in the Champions League a boost with a win over Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek – controlling most of the final 30 minutes. But while he pointed to the missed opportunities as being key, Lampard also acknowledged he could learn from the performance and result,
Frank Lampard added: “If you watch Tottenham a lot, you know where their strengths are and you have to be adaptable. I’ve watched Tottenham and they’re happy to defend deep in their half and have a plan to attack. They’re in the Champions League and we’re trying to move up the table. Maybe there are some signs for me as a coach and as a team for where we can improve.”
