DOMINIC KING: Everton must build on Frank Lampard's dream debut

It was an afternoon to make you think, especially so when Andros Townsend thrashed in the final goal to leave Frank Lampard hollering in delight.

A mere 69 days earlier, Everton had faced Brentford in the Premier League and a 1-0 defeat in west London was a line in the sand for enraged supporters.

The players were screamed at when they approached the away end at the final whistle, and Rafa Benitez was subjected to noisy opprobrium.

That is what Everton were: divided and going nowhere. Benitez was not to blame for all the club's ills, but he was put in a position that was never going to be sustainable. Mutiny had been in the air for far too long.

So it struck a chord as you looked around Goodison Park in the final minutes of a one-sided FA Cup tie. Fans were singing. Players were smiling and revelling in the opportunity to rebuild their brittle confidence. Brentford were limited, but Everton — for once — exerted authority.

'There is no hiding from the fact the atmosphere hadn't been great,' said Everton defender Mason Holgate.

'But everyone could feel this was a fresh start. When Brentford scored, the fans could have been nervy, but they stayed behind us. It showed in what we did on the pitch.'

Lampard had only been in charge for a week but he immediately tweaked the system to 3-4-3, and was rewarded with the best managerial introduction to a Goodison crowd since Mike Walker oversaw a 6-2 slaying of Swindon in January 1994. Therein lies a lesson. Walker's reign turned out to be an unmitigated disaster and he was jettisoned after 10 dismal months.

So nobody, least of all Lampard, will be getting carried away with one impressive win, sparked by Yerry Mina's header, when there is so much work to do.

Lampard, who made a point