Frank Lampard says there is 'no magic wand' that was going to transform Everton's season in the space of a week - as he suffers his first defeat as manager.
The Blues slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Tuesday night to leave them in greater trouble near the bottom of the Premier League table.
Lampard opened his Everton reign with a 4-1 victory over Brentford in the FA Cup on Saturday but was brought back down to earth in the north east.
The new Blues boss says seeing his squad lurch from one excellent performance to such a poor one against Newcastle did not catch him by surprise.
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"You've got to give Newcastle credit, they have come out firing, the crowd were lively and they were very effective," he said.
"(Allen) Saint-Maximin on a night like this evening is pretty unplayable at any level the way he plays.
"I am very aware of the situation. There is no magic wand in a week. That's a bit of a process. I'm not asking for time and time and time because I know we need results. This is the reality of where we are at so it's not surprised me in a way because this is the Premier League."
Everton took the lead but were pegged back less than 60 seconds later.
Injuries to Demarai Gray and Yerry Mina compounded the Blues' problems but Lampard said all three of Newcastle's goals were avoidable and came as a result of individual mistakes.
"Some circumstances were against us but some things we have to reflect upon ask: 'Could we do better?'" Lampard said.
"I'm not surprised in that. I've come to a situation where we have to get better in a lot of things, so to come here and lose a game is disappointing but we mustn't sink into an idea where feelings of confidence go down . We have to take the night on the chin and move forward."
He added: "The goals are preventable because mistakes lead to goals. That's disappointing and something you want to address."
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