Scotland full-back Nathan Patterson has earned rave reviews from Everton fans and boss Frank Lampard following an impressive outing in the defeat to Chelsea.
The right-back has endured a torrid time since leaving Rangers in January for Merseyside after signing for Rafa Benitez, when the Spaniard was quickly replaced by Lampard following the 20-year-old's arrival south of the border. He has made just one appearance under Lampard against Boreham Wood in the FA Cup, during which he was brutally subbed at half-time by the England legend.
An injury prevented him making another appearance for the remainder of the campaign as his English Premier League debut was put on hold while his teammates scrapped for survival. However, the Scotland defender has enjoyed an impressive pre-season campaign under Lampard and was handed a start on the opening day of the season against Thomas Tuchel's side at Goodison Park with skipper Seamus Coleman sidelined through injury.
Despite the narrow 1-0 defeat, with the Liverpool ECHO leading the plaudits for the full-back post-match. The Merseyside media outlet stated: A really strong opening to the match in particular from the wing-back, making sure he had the energy to burst down the flank and offer whatever he could to the attack.
"He kept that up throughout the rest of the game and really lived up to his Premier League debut in exciting fashion."
The Everton fans were also quick to head praise on Patterson on social media following the full-time whistle. One Twitter user said: "How good was Nathan Patterson on his Premier League debut?
"Tested by some of the best in the league and came through with very good grades. Room to grow, but he's still only 20."
Another added on social media: "Nathan Patterson is finally the replacement for Coleman we’ve been waiting for for so long, I didn’t think I’d ever write that."
Another questioned Lampard's choice to stick with Ireland veteran Coleman during the relegation scrap after the showing. They tweeted: "Nathan Patterson not playing ahead of Coleman last season looks even more ridiculous now."
Lampard also singled out the defence and the flying full-backs during his post match comments. He said: "In terms of both boxes and chances we created, I thought we deserved the draw.
"We had a moment of lack of concentration for the penalty. The energy and defensive structure were great from start to finish. We created three or four chances and, on another day, we score one of those and don’t lose the game."
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