Everton slumped deeper into crisis as Goodison Park, the club's most potent weapon in the dying embers of last season, witnessed its fourth consecutive Blues defeat.
The home side was outdone by a side at the bottom of the table yet again as so many themes of a wretched season were evident once more. A lack of quality, a poor start to a second half, the failure to hold onto a lead and the inability of Frank Lampard to turn to game changers on his bench all played a role in a miserable loss that underscored the severity of the threat to Everton's Premier League safety.
It was a result that will heap yet more pressure on Lampard too, despite the public backing he received this week from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri. Just one win in 11 league games tells a story that makes for worrying reading for anyone associated with Everton.
