‘It’s our fault we are there’: Anthony Gordon urges players to lift Everton

Frank Lampard clearly suspected things could get worse for Everton when he dissected the first home defeat of his short reign, against Manchester City. But how much worse, and how quickly, will have alarmed a manager who has projected confidence from the moment he was tasked with avoiding the club’s first relegation in 71 years.

“Don’t look too much at the table for the next few weeks,” he said a fortnight ago. “I am not buying time with that, we have a lot of points to play for. If we play with the energy and passion we did today, my feeling is, we will be fine.” Then came Tottenham, and a performance so abject that Everton looked condemned at Premier League level. Two home games in the next five days, against Wolves on Sunday and Newcastle on Thursday, will have a major bearing on the final verdict.

“I am not going to lie and say I don’t look at the table,” says Anthony Gordon, the homegrown forward who has sparkled in the rough this season. “I am a human being and I check the scores after games. We are very aware of the position we are in. What choice do we have? It is our fault we are there. We have got to fight.

“Tottenham was the lowest I’ve felt all season. It was probably one of the lowest I’ve felt in my career. I think it was the heaviest defeat I’ve suffered. I haven’t been the easiest person to be around over the last few days but I’ve still got the same work ethic and am still doing all the right things. I’m ready to go again.”

In cold Premier League terms there has been no managerial bounce since Lampard succeeded Rafael Benítez five weeks ago. Four defeats in five top-flight games represents a deflating start, although the new manager’s record reads three wins in seven matches with FA Cup victories against