Anthony Gordon and Frank Lampard agree there is still a lot of work to be done if Everton are to retain their Premier League status.
Everton moved four points clear of the relegation zone, although 18th-placed Burnley could reduce the gap to one when they visit Norwich on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
Gordon’s deflected shot in the 27th minute proved decisive, although Everton, backed by raucous support from Goodison Park, showed no lack of determination to claim three priceless points.
But with eight games remaining in the season, Gordon is well aware that there are still plenty of twists and turns to come and is therefore convinced that the Toffees will not rest on their laurels.
“It’s a great victory,” the youth striker said on the club’s website. “They have so many good players at the top of the field, so they were always going to have chances and make things difficult.
“But it’s also just a win. We’ve done a lot, now it’s about being consistent and continuing those performances.”
Everton boss Lampard was particularly pleased with his team’s response after a midweek 3-2 loss at Burnley, but he too reckons they are not out of the woods yet.
“It’s very easy for the first reflex after a loss to be ‘they don’t care’ or ‘they don’t want it enough’ and that’s not the reality with this group,” Lampard said.
“Did we make mistakes earlier in the week that cost us points? Yeah, but do these guys want to stay in this league as much as anything else? Yes, and it was shown in the performance here.
“But this is not enough, it is only three points, there is a long way to go.”
Everton had just 32 per cent of possession on Saturday afternoon but repelled United’s vaunted attackers with 35 clearances, while Jordan Pickford twice denied his England team-mate Marcus Rashford at first and then Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo in added time.
“The simple things that won us the game were a lot of the simple things in football: desire, fight, spirit, togetherness and those are the things that will keep us at the forefront of the patterns of play,” Lampard added.
“It is not a time for that, we want to stay awake. Maybe next year is a time for what can we change? How can we make some changes to the way we play? At the moment it’s about digging.”
United’s defeat was compounded when Ronaldo apologized after apparently knocking a mobile phone out of a supporter’s hand and knocking it to the ground as he headed towards the tunnel.
“It is never easy to deal with emotions in difficult times like the one we are facing,” Ronaldo said on Instagram. “I would like to apologize for my outburst.
“If possible, I would like to invite this fan to watch a match at Old Trafford as a show of fair play and sportsmanship.”
Tottenham’s thrashing of Aston Villa later on Saturday left United six points out of the top four, with Red Devils goalkeeper David De Gea being highly critical of an ineffective performance on Merseyside.
“It’s another bad performance,” the Spaniard told MUTV. “We didn’t create chances, we didn’t play well and Everton beat us in probably one of the worst seasons they’ve had. Is not acceptable.
“I don’t think we created a proper opportunity in the whole game. (There were) a couple of opportunities, but not even big ones. I don’t know what to say, to be honest. It is very sad. This club deserves much more.
“I feel horrible. I feel very sad, I can imagine how they (the fans) feel because they come to every game and we always listen to them throughout the game, no matter if we are winning or losing. It is very hard for them and for U.S”.
