Lampard must ruthlessly axe “reckless” £120k-p/w star, he's not good enough anymore - opinion

Everton put on an impressive performance against Leeds United to secure their first Premier League win in seven games on Saturday afternoon in front of the home fans at Goodison Park.

Michael Keane, Seamus Coleman and Anthony Gordon all found the back of the net as the Toffees put on an offensive and defensive masterclass against their opponents, keeping their fourth top-flight clean sheet of the season.

The new Everton boss made a few changes to his side, replacing an injured Demarai Gray with Alex Iwobi and Donny Van de Beek starting instead of Andre Gomes alongside Allan in midfield, and it paid off.

One player who made an accomplished appearance for Everton on Saturday was Van de Beek, creating a goalscoring opportunity against Bielsa’s team with a key pass and winning three aerial duels (the most on either side). He also recorded the most tackles against Leeds (four) and recovered the ball 10 times to keep Everton ticking over during the course of the game.

With that being said, it is no coincidence that the 24-year-old’s performance came as Everton comfortably beat their opponents, so it may be the perfect opportunity for Lampard to now ruthlessly axe Andre Gomes from the side.

The £120k-p/w Portuguese midfielder, who was described as “reckless” by Everton journalist David Prentice, has had ample opportunities in the starting XI throughout the season to make an impact, with 10 Premier League appearances so far. His inclusion in the team had clearly fallen flat, as he has started in the last six games that the Toffees have lost.

With Van de Beek’s introduction to the team having such a huge impact on Everton’s performance compared to the display at St James’ Park in their previous game, Lampard will be likely to