'Everything is a challenge' - Everton boss Frank Lampard rues costly mistakes

Frank Lampard blamed individual errors after Everton sank ever closer to the relegation zone when Maxwel Cornet scored late on to give Burnley a 3-2 victory in the battle of two struggling teams.

Everton were on course to move six points clear of the bottom three when Richarlison put them 2-1 in front by scoring the second of two penalties to respond to Nathan Collins' first Burnley goal 12 minutes in.

But Jay Rodriguez levelled in the 57th minute and Cornet popped up with a crucial winner five minutes from time to leave Everton only one point above the 18th-placed Clarets.

"The effort is there, the belief will always be tested because this is football," Lampard said. "We were in a position to go and win, certainly not to lose. It will always test the belief and that’s my job, to bring that back.

"We’ve got a game on Saturday morning. You can see the players are disappointed at the end. There are certain realities in football. If you make mistakes you will concede. But in terms of the general performance, I didn’t hate it. You’ve just got to deal with those moments."

The cost of this defeat could yet be considerable. Everton squandered a chance to end a winless away run which stretches back to August and has been key to their slide into trouble.

With Burnley now within touching distance ahead of a weekend when Everton face Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime and the Clarets are away to bottom side Norwich on Sunday, the Toffees’ ever-present status in the Premier League era is under genuine threat.

"Everything is a challenge," Lampard added. "Today was a challenge. It’s a challenge to stay in the league. We’ve got nine games to go, 27 points to play for. Lots of points.

"We lost points tonight we should have gained. It