As the Blues stretch their unbeaten run to six Premier League matches, it's time for your Everton FC morning headlines on Sunday, October 2.
'Bigger picture is' - Frank Lampard explains why he was so impressed by Seamus Coleman on Everton comeback
Frank Lampard hailed the heroics of returning club captain Seamus Coleman after his role in Everton's win at Southampton. The skipper played in the Premier League for the first time this season as he replaced Nathan Patterson, who pick up an injury on international duty that will rule him out for up to five weeks. It was also Coleman's first league game since the comeback win over Crystal Palace that secured the Blues' Premier League survival last season, and followed a summer that included surgery.
But the 33-year-old still produced a composed display as he dealt with a number of challenging back-post crosses and repeatedly surged forward to support his team-mates.
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After the match Lampard, who has previously heaped praise on Coleman's crucial dressing room influence during the relegation battle last season, welcomed the performance and the return of one of his most trusted players.
Asked how useful it was to have Coleman available again - and how impressed he was with his display, the Everton boss said: "It's really useful to say the least and the bigger picture of the story is for Seamus to be injured, to carry an injury at the end of the season, to have an operation and not play 90 minutes for a long time and to be thrown in.
"Patterson has been playing great, we all know that, Seamus hasn't been able to get game minutes, so I'm delighted for him to come up - particularly in the second half. There were balls being chipped in at the back post and he was dealing with things with his experience and his quality and so I am really pleased for him and he will be so much the better for having those 90 minutes."
Frank Lampard's questioned summer signing gets what he deserves as new Everton leaders emerge
Alex Iwobi and Idrissa Gueye partied topless in the south coast sunshine as Everton's travelling fanbase revelled in a win that underlines the progress being made under Frank Lampard.
The midfielders had followed Vitalii Mykolenko - the first to give up his shirt - over to the supporters on the final whistle after the Blues secured a remarkable win at Southampton.
As the players danced to a soundtrack that included Spirit of the Blues, Lampard, who had already been over to show his appreciation, was serenaded with yet another round of 'Super Frank' when he turned back for one last look before heading down the tunnel.
The scenes capped off a dramatic comeback victory that showcased Everton's gathering momentum as they made it back-to-back victories and revealed the win over West Ham United just before the international break had not been a one-off.
It was Dwight McNeil who conjured the magic. The 22-year-old, Lampard's most questioned summer signing, won this for the Blues with a finish of venom and precision. But his performance was much more than just his goal. When he signed in the summer many critics openly wondered whether Everton would get the McNeil of his early years as he burst on to the scene, or that of last year, when he provided just one assist for Burnley - though that statistic fails to take into account the number of chances he created that were missed by others.
Here, under pressure as he stepped in for Anthony Gordon, left on the bench due to illness, McNeil worked hard across the pitch and his effort was crucial to his side largely controlling a first half in which Gueye dictated events in the middle and Demarai Gray repeatedly threatened but was unable to find that crucial end product. McNeil's determination to help in his team's defensive duties was on show, too, as well as his creative vision - best displayed by a second half through-ball to Gray that should have provided him with an assist.
Read the full story HERE.
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