Frank Lampard acknowledged he allowed himself to get “caught up in the emotion” of Everton beating Brentford 4-1 in his first match in charge.
Everton replaces Rafael Benitez with Frank Lampard.
As soon as Lampard arrived, he signed Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek in the Winter transfer window.
And in stark contrast to the end of the ill-fated Benitez era, the positive momentum continued with an emphatic win in the FA Cup on Saturday, as Everton took their place in round five thanks to goals from Yerry Mina, Richarlison, Mason Holgate and Andros Townsend.
Albeit his new signings were not available, Lampard’s impact on Everton’s play was evident.
They had 55.77 per cent possession, a figure they only surpassed twice under Benitez.
While on only six occasions this season has they played fewer long passes, with Lampard placing more of an emphasis on his defenders playing it into midfield.
Lampard will want to improve the 19 touches Everton had in Brentford’s box.
However, Everton’s duel success rate of 63.1 per cent (53/84) was their best in any game across all competitions this season.
The Toffees were noticeably looking to engage higher up the pitch than under their former manager or interim boss, Duncan Ferguson.
Everton scored four goals in a game for the first time in 42 matches.
Everton did so in a 5-4 win over Tottenham in the fifth round of last season’s FA Cup.
“It’s been brilliant this week, very special,” Lampard told a news conference.
“It’s a day that I’ll never forget. But, of course, it’s only the start in terms of my time here.
“But I can’t help but get caught up in the emotion of the moment.
“The way the players approached the game meant that the fans bought into it straight away.
“It was a wonderful day for me.
“I want to be the best I can be, and if the fans can see it all well and good.
They want to see their manager giving everything, and that’s just how I work.
“I want to be there to support the players when they make passes or play through lines or make tackles, covering distance.
“Those things are unique and what we planned. As a manager today, I was proud of the performance, which excited me.
“Of course, now I need to calm down and work towards the league games.
“But we saw hopefully some excellent signs that we can take forward.”
Lampard now faces two massive games, with a trip to Newcastle coming up on Tuesday.
Before a home match against Leeds United, Everton sits 16th with 19 points.
Likewise, for more football news like this, click here.