Frank Lampard accused his Everton players of lacking “the bollocks” to perform at the required level after a flaccid performance ended in a 4-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by an excellent Crystal Palace.
Everton faded alarmingly after conceding the opening goal after 25 minutes, and Lampard queried whether confidence alone was the issue. “There is only so much you can keep trying to butter someone up to get confidence,” the manager said. “You’re playing at the cut-throat end of football; this is the FA Cup quarter-finals. If you haven’t got the confidence to play, you can flip it and say: ‘Have you got the bollocks to play?’ Apologies but that’s the football term.
