With his first touch he stole the ball from a breaking Luka Milivojevic. With his second he flicked, delicately, the pass from Alex Iwobi around Marc Guehi. With his third he slotted his shot beyond the onrushing Vicente Guaita before wheeling away to receive the adoration of the home fans.
In just three touches Dominic Calvert-Lewin provided everything Everton and Frank Lampard have been missing throughout his tortuous absence. It was the breakthrough Everton had been seeking for so long. Not in this match, but in the wider Lampard project. And it had to come against Crystal Palace, in front of the Gwladys Street crowd - of course it did. Five months on from his last Premier League goal, which came at the same end of Goodison Park, against the same opposition, he had the same crowd receiving him with adoration. That thumping header under the Goodison lights in May is one of the most important goals in his club's modern history. The importance of this strike, after 11 minutes, may pale in significance. But in Calvert-Lewin's desire to win the ball back, and in the intricate interchanges between himself, Iwobi and Amadou Onana, it embodied so much of what Lampard wants to instill in Everton's future.
After the defeat against Newcastle United in midweek, Conor Coady said the dressing room inquest that followed focused on the need to be more assertive off the ball, more confident on it, and more ruthless when chances did come. This goal was a jigsaw in which determination, confidence and ruthlessness were all pieces of the puzzle.
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It was no fluke either. It did not come out of the blue. It crowned one of the best starts to a game made under Lampard. Everton were at Palace from the opening seconds. Idrissa Gueye, Onana, James Tarkowski and Coady snapping and biting, hustling and harrying when out of possession. When they won the ball they set off, typically through the vision of Iwobi, the wide men - Demarai Gray, Anthony Gordon and - most notably - Vitalii Mykolenko. When asked how he would address Everton's creative woes - which had led to a failure to muster a shot on target in the past two matches - Lampard highlighted his ambition for his full-backs to be more prominent in the final third. The Ukraine international, defensively astute but seemingly so cautious, responded immediately. He enjoyed his most adventurous game since he scored in the crucial win at Leicester City last season - overlapping Gray three times in the first 10 minutes alone. More on him later.
By the time Calvert-Lewin scored his first of the season, Gray had already ended the painstaking wait for a shot on target, testing Guaita from 20 yards after Onana had won the ball back.
Aside from goals and creativity, another of Everton's problems this season has been their response on the occasions when they have taken the lead. Against Brentford, Leeds United, Manchester United, Southampton, West Ham United, Everton shrunk back when ahead, allowed the pressure to build and, in three of those matches, paid the price. This was different. They pushed again - refusing to let their opponents into the game and providing a genuine threat when they attacked. Ahead of this tie, Lampard spoke of the need for patience as players forged connections. Because of his absence Calvert-Lewin is new to this new-look side, he stressed. Against Palace it was the rekindling of his relationship with an old colleague, Iwobi, that proved so effective - that and the bustling Onana's consistent ability to snatch the ball and set free Gordon.
Everton continued to test Palace but were unable to find a second goal in the opening 45 minutes, Gordon coming closest by forcing Guaita into a flying save. As they were applauded off there was a lingering sense of jeopardy with the lead so slim. That continued into the start of the second half as Palace found a foothold. It took a perfectly timed tackle by Seamus Coleman to deny Wilfried Zaha as he bore down on goal before Jordan Pickford somehow flicked a Michael Olise effort over the bar.
Everton kept going though and posed a constant threat. Their endeavour paid off just after the hour when a counter attack ripped apart Palace and concluded with Onana playing in that man, Mykolenko, rampaging forward again. His shot was pushed away by Guaita but only into the path of Gordon. Restricted celebrations turned to beautiful chaos when VAR - so often an enemy of the Blues - overruled an offside flag to confirm Everton had scored a second league goal at Goodison Park for the first time since, yes, that game against Palace in May.
Half an hour remained but the game was already won. The away side lost their cool and Guehi, Jeffrey Schlupp and Zaha were all booked for their role in the match's big flashpoint. Guehi went in late on Calvert-Lewin, Zaha floored Gordon off the ball and Tarkowski rushed to defend his teammates and stood smiling amid the melee that ensued. He too was booked. His fans loved his role in the carnage as much as he seemed to.
A goal for Calvert-Lewin, a working press, effective width and a favourable VAR decision. If anyone believed this game could not get any better for Lampard they were wrong. With minutes to go Dwight McNeil burst through the away side's defence, played an audacious one-two with Iwobi and passed the ball beyond Guaita. It was the perfect ending to another unforgettable performance, in another high-stakes match with Palace. Lampard will hope that, after three consecutive defeats, it is the perfect restart to his Everton project.
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