Frank Lampard calls on Everton team to 'keep working' after suffering defeat at home to Brighton

at Everton season descended into crisis last night as a thrashing at the hands of Brighton left Frank Lampard’s position under intense scrutiny.

Lampard saw Everton lose for the eighth time in their last 11 matches in all competitions as Brighton ran amok in six chaotic second-half minutes, turning a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 deficit to spark a frenzy among the frenzied home fans.

There were chants of “sack the board”, hundreds of fans left the stadium early and a blue smoke canister was thrown onto the pitch after Pascal Gross completed his team’s scoring. Everton will fall out of the relegation zone if West Ham and Nottingham Forest win their games tonight.

Everton boss Frank Lampard has called on his side to ‘keep working’ amid their poor form

The Toffees lost 4-1 to Brighton in their miserable return since the World Cup resumed

Lampard, who has yet to reach the first anniversary of his appointment, admits he could pay the ultimate price. Owner Farhad Moshiri – who has not attended an Everton game since October 2021 – has a history of limited patience in such situations and the pressure is mounting.

He said: ‘I can only focus on what I can control. Since I’ve been here, we’ve been in this situation of a relegation battle last year and this whole season. It’s not a case of fear, it’s a case of continuing to work. I cannot control the conversation or the decisions when you are around this area of ​​the table.

‘This is what happens. When you lose a game like this, I totally understand any reaction. I don’t listen to it too much because if you do it becomes your focus point.’

Lampard said he was not focused on the chants from the crowd during the home defeat

The Merseyside club are yet to win since returning to Premier League action this winter

Everton escaped relegation in the penultimate game last season and Lampard added: ‘Since I’ve been here we’ve been in a relegation battle and that’s something you have to hold on to and it can mean results or days like that this.

‘You just have to focus on going again because those are the things you can control. I’ve seen enough on Saturday in terms of parts of the performance, what isn’t good enough is the consistency to get results.

‘The first half I didn’t hate but six minutes was not good enough from us and if you perform like that, defensively you lose games.’

Asked if he would comment on the board’s criticism, Lampard said: “No.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi was delighted with his team’s efforts, saying: ‘We have to prove and we have to ask ourselves for more. In the second half it was a different quality of play, in the second half we were fantastic.’

Their next challenge sees them travel to Old Trafford for a test against in-form Man United