Everton overwhelm Brentford in FA Cup to give Frank Lampard dream start

Grand statements can look dangerously premature with a relegation fight ahead but Goodison Park already feels like a different place under Frank Lampard. The new Everton manager enjoyed a dream start, and the biggest win of any managerial debut in the club’s history, as Brentford were easily swept aside in the FA Cup fourth round.

A performance of character and enterprise brought Everton into the fifth round and Lampard into the embrace of an appreciative crowd. Four different goalscorers – Yerry Mina, Richarlison, Mason Holgate and Andros Townsend – helped Everton to their biggest win of the season against Thomas Frank’s team, who only fleetingly threatened to disturb the script.

Lampard received a tumultuous reception when introduced to the Goodison crowd before kick-off. A banner was draped over the front of the upper Gwladys Street End that read ‘Best of luck Frank’. Another, featuring Howard Kendall, the trophies won during his reign and ‘Nothing but the best, our motto is our standard’ provided a little reminder of what is expected of any Everton manager. Premier League survival, however, is the immediate priority for the club’s sixth permanent manager in under six years.

The former Chelsea and Derby manager oversaw the warmup, something that David Moyes did when he first arrived at Goodison, while new first-team coach Ashley Cole took a place high up in the Main Stand to survey the match itself. It was a competitive, physical contest from the outset with both sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities, although the improvement in Everton’s desire for the ball and willingness to take the game to Brentford was immediate. Incisive runs from Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon were a prominent feature of the