Frank Lampard said his players did not deliver the intensity required to get a result at Bournemouth.
The Blues boss said his side had previously shown glimpses of the fight needed to get Premier League wins but that the match at the Vitality Stadium was not one of them. His comments came after a meek performance in which Everton lost 3-0 and fell to just a single point above the relegation zone.
That followed a dismal week in which they lost at home to Leicester City before being sent crashing out of the Carabao Cup to Bournemouth. After nine changes to the side that lost in the same ground on Tuesday, Everton were defeated by three goals once again on Saturday.
READ MORE: Frank Lampard reacts to Everton away fan anger and Alex Iwobi incident
READ MORE: Frank Lampard explains Anthony Gordon substitution and gives Everton injury update
Asked about whether he was concerned over the lack of intensity on display, Lampard said: "Yes, completely... we are showing games when we have it, we had it last week against Leicester, we had it against [Crystal] Palace, generally it aligns itself to better results and if you drop it then that is not enough and that one is on the players. I know I have to sit here and take responsibility but there is not a moment when I ask for less intensity, it is actually the opposite, so the players didn't deliver that."
Lampard pointed to Jordan Pickford's mistake for the first goal and the decision to allow play to continue for the second goal despite James Tarkowski being down with a head injury as crucial moments but acknowledged his side had not performed to its best. He added: "The performance was poor, it was below par and in the Premier League you get beaten for that. A mistake for the first goal, the referee should disallow the second one, it shouldn't stand, you have got to stop the game, we got told this against [Crystal] Palace a few weeks ago. A defender goes down with a head injury and the game stops whilst the ball is in the box, so the referee got that one wrong. But it is not one to hang on because our reaction after that wasn't right. But it is difficult coming back in an away game at 2-0 down, it gives the fans and the opposition a lot of impetus but on our part it wasn't enough."
READ NEXT
Everton player ratings as three awful and eight poor in Bournemouth loss
Everton left in awkward position after Frank Lampard promise shockingly broken
What happened in two minutes of full-time drama in Everton loss to Bournemouth
Frank Lampard faced with worst possible Everton question after week from hell
