The former Liverpool and England striker David Johnson has died at the age of 71. Johnson made 213 appearances and scored 78 goals in six years at Anfield. He also had two spells at Everton and played eight times for England, scoring six goals.
Playing tribute to his former teammate at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish wrote on Twitter: “Sad news about the Doc. David was hugely popular in the dressing room. A really good guy and condolences to all his family. RIP DOC YNWA.”
Another former Liverpool colleague, David Fairclough, wrote: “So sad to hear my great friend and Liverpool legend David Johnson has passed away today. Shared so many great moments and memories with ‘Jono’. Today is a very sad day. Condolences to all Dave’s family. RIP ‘Doc’.”
Everyone at Everton Football Club is saddened to learn of the untimely passing of David ‘Doc’ Johnson at the age of 71.
Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends at this time. 💙
Everton confirmed the news by saying: “Everyone at Everton Football Club is saddened to learn of the untimely passing of David ‘Doc’ Johnson at the age of 71. Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends at this time.”
Johnson began his career at Goodison Park and scored in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool in 1971. He would go on to score for the Liverpool against Everton nine years later.
Johnson had a successful spell at Ipswich before moving to Liverpool in 1976 for a club record fee of £200,000. He went on to win three league titles at Anfield as well as the European Cup in 1981. Ian Rush’s emergence relegated Johnson to the bench the following season and he re-signed for Everton in August 1982.
Johnson later played for Barnsley, Manchester City, the American side Tulsa Roughnecks, Preston and had a spell as player-manager at Barrow before retiring in 1986.
Frank Lampard has said Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s fitness problems will intensify Everton’s efforts to strengthen their attack in January.
Everton have scored only 11 goals in 14 Premier League games and, after reinforcing central defence and midfield in the summer, improving his forward line was always the next stage in Lampard’s rebuilding plans. But he admits there is added urgency to address the problem given Calvert-Lewin’s misfortune.
The centre-forward is sidelined with hamstring, shoulder and knee problems, although he does not require surgery after visiting a specialist. Calvert-Lewin has been plagued by injury for 15 months and Everton, having sold last season’s leading goalscorer Richarlison, added only Neal Maupay to their attack in the summer.
“There are a lot of parts to it,” Lampard said of the transfer strategy. “The first thing is for the bigger part of the [summer] window Dominic was fit so you’re thinking ‘Dominic plus one’ and Neal Maupay comes in. Then we’ve got two good options, and Salomón Rondón at the time, and you’re thinking: ‘OK, we can work with that’.
“The market isn’t easy for strikers and as much as we want to bring in players to improve the squad, if they’re not there to improve you or you’re going out on a limb for players you are not sure about – and I think that might be part of some mistakes that have been made before – then you’re in a position you don’t want to be in. You have to be pretty level-headed about how you want to improve the squad and the process it will be.
“The idea that we could have made another three or four signings who would all be perfect – first of all the budget wasn’t there to do that, and secondly you’ve got to get the right ones at the right time. January was one where we thought: ‘Where will we want to look at in that area?’ And of course Dominic’s injury has probably focused it more than we may have thought at that time.”
Everton revisit Bournemouth on Saturday four days after a 4-1 defeat at the Vitality Stadium in the Carabao Cup, when Lampard’s decision to make 11 changes backfired and attracted fierce criticism from the travelling support.
“I don’t mind those emotions,” the manager said. “I would never sit here and say, ‘Why are they getting on the players?’ after that performance. It wasn’t good enough. I didn’t expect this season to be a lovely ride after what happened last season. Richarlison leaves, we make some changes and we bring in players. It was always going to be another testing season, which means periods like now.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered another injury setback with the Everton striker to visit a specialist over a dislocated shoulder.
The 25-year-old will miss Everton’s final game before the World Cup at Bournemouth on Saturday after picking up a hamstring injury during last weekend’s defeat by Leicester. He has also been hindered by a shoulder injury sustained at Newcastle on 19 October, and will see a specialist in the next 24 hours to determine the extent of the problem.
Calvert-Lewin, whose recent injury woes cost him a place in England’s World Cup squad, dislocated the shoulder on his first start of the season. It was popped back in at St James’ Park but happened again during the draw at Fulham 10 days later. Despite the striker playing on with the problem Everton need to determine the severity of the injury and what action to take during the break in the Premier League season.
The England international has been plagued by injury problems for the past 15 months. He missed much of last season with a fractured toe and a thigh problem, then sustained a knee injury on the eve of this season that ruled him out for two months.
Frank Lampard’s team have struggled for goals all season, managing only 11 in 14 games so far. Despite Calvert-Lewin’s injury record and the sale of Richarlison to Tottenham, the club added only Neal Maupay to their attacking options in the summer. The Everton manager hopes to address his shortage of striking options in the January window.
There was elation in the away end as League Two side Gillingham advanced to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 6-5 win on penalties over Premier League opponents Brentford. The Bees were ahead inside five minutes when Mikkel Damsgaard’s fine pass found England hopeful Ivan Toney, who tapped in the opener.
Brentford enjoyed 80% possession but the resilient visitors struck back on 75 minutes when the substitute Mikael Mandron headed home Alex MacDonald’s cross at the near post, ensuring the Gills’ only shot of the match counted. A thrilling battle from the spot ended when the Gillingham midfielder Alex MacDonald scored their sixth penalty and Damsgaard saw his effort hit the bar, sealing victory for the underdogs.
Victory capped a memorable a day for the Kent club given that they had to walk the last part of their journey to Brentford, which meant kick-off was delayed by 20 minutes. “We had to walk here, we had to climb over barriers and help each other get over fences,” said the Gillingham manager Neil Harris.
“We got to about a quarter of a mile from Chiswick Roundabout and we got stuck. Fortunately we had a tactics board on the bus. But we couldn’t move and they couldn’t get a police escort to us. So we got in touch with the officials and decided to walk – probably about a 10-minute walk.”
Frank Lampard suffered an embarrassing Carabao Cup exit as his Everton side were thrashed 4-1 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Toffees were made to pay for a number of defensive mistakes as Bournemouth ended their run of four successive Premier League defeats to ease into round four.
Jamal Lowe, Junior Stanislas, Emiliano Marcondes and Jaidon Anthony were on target for the hosts, with Demarai Gray replying for Everton. Frank Lampard admitted Everton’s fringe players had come up short. “We were poor,” Lampard said. “I made a lot of changes, but the reality of my job is that we want to win every game we play.”
Jamal Lowe of Bournemouth celebrates scoring his side’s fourth goal against Everton. Photograph: Robin Jones/AFC Bournemouth/Getty Images
Lincoln bounced back from FA Cup embarrassment to storm into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory over Championship club Bristol City at Ashton Gate. The League One side took a seventh-minute lead when midfielder Matty Virtue was allowed time and space 25 yards out to the left of goal and netted with a sweetly struck right-footed drive.
It was 2-0 on 15 minutes as Ben House robbed young defender Joe Low, making his first start for the Robins, and ran through to slot home from inside the box. Four minutes into the second half Lincoln were in dreamland as Paudie O’Connor headed the third from virtually on the goal line after a free-kick was not dealt with.
The substitute Tommy Conway shot home from close range on 80 minutes but Lincoln, dumped out of the FA Cup by non-League Chippenham at the weekend, were in no mood to surrender their advantage.
Two late goals from substitute Anass Zaroury broke Crawley’s stubborn resistance and gave Burnley a hard-earned 3-1 win to reach the Carabao Cup fourth round. The third-round tie at Turf Moor looked as if it might have to be settled by a shootout as the Championship side spurned chance after chance to kill off the League Two outfit, who had taken the scalps of League One Bristol Rovers and Premier League Fulham to earn the trip to Turf Moor.
But Zaroury, who had been sent on as a 56th-minute substitute, eased their frustrations when he tapped the ball home from a couple of yards in the 79th minute after Ashley Barnes had touched on Manuel Benson’s low cross. And he added his second with a similar close-range finish in the 90th minute from his fellow sub Vitinho’s cross.
Goals either side of half-time from Warren O’Hora and Matthew Dennis ensured MK Dons earned a place in Thursday’s fourth round draw as they beat League One rivals Morecambe 2-0. Charlton edged a close contest with fourth-tier Stevenage, advancing with a 5-4 win on penalties. Stevenage went ahead through Luke Norris’s 22nd-minute penalty and defended their lead deep into the second half, when Chuks Aneke equalised to take the match to penalties.
The Leicester revival continues, and in spectacular style. Youri Tielemans added another superb goal to his rich catalogue as Brendan Rodgers’ side soared out of the relegation zone with a highly accomplished victory at Everton.
Harvey Barnes added a late second after starting and finishing a devastating counterattack in which he received James Maddison’s ball inside the area, spun away from Abdoulaye Doucouré, and swept an emphatic finish beyond Jordan Pickford. Maddison impressed throughout as Rodgers’ savoured his first Premier League win at Goodison Park, a third victory in four matches and yet another clean sheet.
It was remarkable the game remained goalless until Tielemans’ fabulous strike just before half-time. The glut of clear-cut chances started within seconds of kick-off when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall broke down the left and crossed for the lively Maddison, who side-footed wide of the far post.
There was still an opportunity for Patson Daka to convert but, unmarked and at full stretch, the striker was just unable to connect. Maddison and Dewsbury-Hall combined again to play Daka through an exposed defence. His low shot on the turn was stopped by the fingertips of Pickford.
The hosts should have led from their first genuine attack. Idrissa Gana Gueye engineered it with a sharp tackle to dispossess Boubakary Soumaré just outside the Leicester area.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin collected the loose ball and sent Alex Iwobi scurrying into space behind Wout Faes. Iwobi had only Danny Ward to beat but placed his shot inches wide of the far post.
Youri Tielemans scores his stunning opener for Leicester. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
The former Leicester winger Demarai Gray, his every touch jeered by the visiting supporters, and Calvert-Lewin missed half chances before Ward saved from James Tarkowski’s towering header and Iwobi had a diving header blocked by his own number nine.
It was a flowing, ridiculously open contest with both sides looking to move the ball forward as quickly as possible. Chaos in the Everton defence, with Pickford’s kicking repeatedly erratic and Tarkowski enduring a rare off day, also aided the Leicester cause.
Maddison swept just wide from the edge of the area, Barnes miscued when well placed and Tarkowski blocked from Dewsbury-Hall as the visitors poured forward in numbers. Maddison had a goal-bound shot deflected just wide by Gana Gueye and Pickford saved from Daka following an error by Tarkowski, but the England goalkeeper was powerless to prevent Tielemans volleying Leicester into a stunning, deserved lead.
After a brief interruption when what appeared to be a firework landed on the pitch, prompting the referee, David Coote, to speak with a police officer, Dewsbury-Hall released Barnes down the left with a fine first time ball.
From his low cross Daka had a shot blocked by Tarkowski but Conor Coady under-hit an attempted clearance and allowed Maddison to tee up his captain 25 yards from goal. Tielemans controlled on his thigh, then sent a superb volley arching over Pickford and into the top corner.
Everton were almost level early in the second half when Iwobi played Calvert-Lewin in behind the Leicester defence.
Ward was off his line quickly to smother his shot, and Calvert-Lewin’s frustrations deepened when he was forced off injured on the hour. Any outside chance of the Everton striker making England’s World Cup squad may have disappeared with this setback.
Maddison could not have delivered a better audition, however. The playmaker was inches away from doubling Leicester’s lead when beating Dwight McNeil before hitting a post with a shot from the edge of the area.
Frank Lampard introduced Anthony Gordon, Neal Maupay and Nathan Patterson in a bid to inject fresh energy into Everton’s play but they were unable to break a resilient Leicester defence that preserved a fourth clean sheet in five games.
The Everton midfielder Amadou Onana has revealed he watches clips of Frank Lampard’s goals on a weekly basis in an attempt to improve as a box-to-box player.
Onana has made a strong start at Goodison Park after his summer move from Lille but has yet to open his account in 14 appearances. The 21-year-old has been studying footage of his manager, the highest-scoring midfielder in Premier League history with 177 league goals, as he looks to improve his finishing skills and all-round game.
The Belgium international said: “That aspect of his game he is trying to give me and that is what is missing. I have watched his clips and goals and I think if I had his shooting ability I would be a very good player. He didn’t tell me to watch them, he is a very humble guy and that is what I like about him. He could have been like: ‘Hey, I am Frank Lampard, look at what I did,’ but he is really not like that. He is just a humble guy speaking to us normally and respectfully. I really like him.
“I watch his goals regularly, once a week, but even before I came to Everton I watched his goals. I have been watching the Premier League since I was seven or eight so if you talk about the Premier League you have to mention his name.”
Onana visited Everton’s new stadium at Bramley Moore dock this week as the impressive development gathers pace on the banks of the River Mersey. He has been working intensely with Lampard in training and claimed the 44-year-old can still outshine many of his players.
The midfielder, who hopes to be included in Roberto Martínez’s Belgium squad for the World Cup, added: “He’s still very good. He doesn’t really want to show it because he’s not a show-off guy but we all know he’s better than many of us!
“We spend a lot of time analysing sequences of the games. He is giving me advice about my positioning, how to be decisive and when to get into the box. There are a lot of things that we have been working on but especially my finishing because I think this is one of the missing parts of my game. I think that is what makes a box-to-box midfielder special, having the ability to do both tasks defensively and offensively so that is what I am trying to do.”
The goal just never came. Fulham were full of speed and invention but lacked the finishing touch to get past a busy but commanding Jordan Pickford. Everton, with Conor Coady organising, often handing out NFL-style congratulations to colleagues after clearances and blocks, doggedly held their line. They are such sterner opposition under Frank Lampard, their goals against record belonging in the top echelon. Scoring is more problematic; Dominic Calvert-Lewin was ever more in isolation as his 90 minutes dragged on.
Marco Silva spent 18 forgettable months at Everton, and despite reasonable grounds to consider himself a victim of a club in permanent flux, was forced to rebuild his reputation at Fulham. His Everton were rarely so enterprising. A similar reinvention process goes for Lampard at Everton. He has bought into being an Evertonian in a manner his Portuguese predecessor never managed. At full time the away contingent appeared happy enough with the latest demonstration of “dogs of war” values as Lampard hailed a “work, resilience and mindset we really didn’t have last year”.
“It’s difficult to believe,” said Silva, after his first game against his former employers. “We did almost everything well. Everton played a direct game, we knew that, and they created some moments but we are always on the front foot. Jordan Pickford and their defenders deserve credit, they block everything but we did everything to win.”
The England goalkeeper, who was man of the match, was far happier. “I graft really hard and I like putting on performances,” said Pickford. “The World Cup is around the corner so I’ll keep my head focused.”
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford tips over a shot by Willian of Fulham. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
Lampard said: “Keepers can make or break you. When he plays like that he wins you points.” Pickford had lifted Everton to mid-table respectability, though they are still just four points above the bottom three. Fulham’s unlikely push for European football next season had meanwhile stalled.
Calvert-Lewin probably needed a goal to boost an outside chance of joining Pickford in Qatar, particularly with Gareth Southgate watching Callum Wilson scoring twice for Newcastle. Everton’s No 9, starting two games in a row for the first time since May, probably relies on others to fall by the wayside. After a bright start, he betrayed some rustiness, caught offside in a rare second-half Everton attack. At least his injury curse did not return. Chasing down Demarai Gray’s low cross, he smashed his shoulder into the post but pronounced himself fine to continue.
Aleksandar Mitrovic battles with James Tarkowski. The Fulham forward had a frustrating match. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
In the first half, Everton played their full part in some end-to-end thrills amid unseasonably warm autumnal temperatures. Things occasionally got heated. The opposing No 9, Aleksandar Mitrovic, was lucky to escape with no more than a booking for a stamp on Idrissa Gueye, a decision that had Lampard baying for a video review. “I think he knew,” said Everton’s manager. “I was really surprised we didn’t get given it.”
The Serb had earlier vaulted Coady and crumpled heavily. Here was some form of retribution, and a yellow did not stop Mitrovic continuing his running battle with the ever game Coady. Tim Ream heading wide before James Tarkowski headed straight at Bernd Leno from a corner was the last flicker of a fine first 45. The second began with a penalty claim, waved away by John Brooks, the referee. Willian was falling to the floor before Gueye rapped his ankle.
As Fulham hunted a winner, Mitrovic had multiple chances, none of them quite falling right. A blazing over of Andreas Pereira’s cross caused an anguished howl towards the football gods, as did a final-seconds chance, blasted over on the turn.
“Mitro will score next time,” reassured his manager but two points had been surrendered to Pickford, Coady et al.
Time is against Dominic Calvert-Lewin in his quest to return to the England squad for the World Cup but, in front of the watching Gareth Southgate, the Everton striker produced a hugely influential display as Frank Lampard’s side ended their losing streak in emphatic style against Crystal Palace.
The England international scored the opener and helped create the second for Anthony Gordon as Everton recorded their biggest win of the season. Dwight McNeil applied the gloss with a fine third against Patrick Vieira’s subdued side, who struggled against Everton’s energy and the presence of Calvert-Lewin all afternoon. With only three more Premier League games before the World Cup an England return for the 25-year-old appears remote, but this was a vivid demonstration of his importance to Everton.
Addressing the lack of goals and creativity in the Everton squad – one that had scored a meagre 70 in the previous 72 league games since Boxing Day 2020 – is next on Lampard’s agenda having reinforced his defence and midfield in the summer. The issue dominated his pre-match press conference after Everton had failed to register a shot on target in their previous two defeats at Newcastle and Tottenham. Lampard was consistent in his response: it would improve with hard work and the return to full fitness of Calvert-Lewin. The Everton manager’s belief was vindicated inside 11 minutes.
Calvert-Lewin was handed only his second start of a season disrupted by injury as Lampard named an unchanged team from the one that toiled at St James’ Park on Wednesday. It was a generous show of faith that was rewarded with an energetic and positive opening. There was no sign of confidence suffering from three consecutive losses as Everton took the game to a surprisingly sloppy and passive Palace team.
The breakthrough encapsulated the start made by both sides. Calvert-Lewin hunted down Luka Milivojevic deep inside the visitors’ half and stole possession from a hesitant Palace captain. The dirty work done, the centre-forward immediately set off for the penalty area to receive a return ball from Alex Iwobi. His first touch took him away from a tumbling Marc Guéhi and created space for a precise, low finish beyond Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal. It was Calvert-Lewin’s first goal since securing Everton’s Premier League status with a diving header against Palace 156 days ago and a timely reminder to the watching England manager.
Everton looked to release Anthony Gordon against left-back Tyrick Mitchell at every opportunity. They succeeded frequently, courtesy of the accuracy of Iwobi, James Tarkowski and Amadou Onana, but Gordon was unable to capitalise in the first half. He did test Guaita, however, with a rising drive from 25 yards that the Palace keeper tipped over.
Anthony Gordon doubles Everton’s lead from close range at Goodison Park. Photograph: Tony McArdle/Everton FC/Getty Images
Palace awoke from their lethargy midway through the opening period but aside from a tame header from Joachim Andersen and an angled shot from Wilfried Zaha, both straight at Jordan Pickford, they rarely threatened the Everton goal. The biggest concern inside Goodison Park was the erratic refereeing of Simon Hooper. When Odsonne Édouard did breach the home defence and looked to play Zaha through on the left, Séamus Coleman, 13 years to the day since his Everton debut, showed excellent awareness and pace to intervene.
Coleman also denied Zaha with a superb tackle inside the area when Palace made a determined start to the second half. Conor Coady followed suit with a vital touch to divert Eberechi Eze’s close range effort wide when he looked set to convert Jordan Ayew’s cross to the near post.
Everton brought themselves the comfort of a second goal after a fine counter-attack started by Calvert-Lewin’s lay-off to Iwobi. Demarai Gray found Onana, who released Vitalii Mykolenko in space on the left. The Ukraine international’s low drive was spilled by Guaita into the path of Gordon and he tapped in to an empty goal. The winger was clearly onside when Mykolenko shot yet it was initially flagged offside. VAR set the record straight much to the delight of Idrissa Gueye, who sprayed a water bottle into Gordon’s face.
Gordon and Calvert-Lewin departed to standing ovations before substitute McNeil polished victory with a delightful third. The summer signing darted away from two tired challenges on the left and released Iwobi inside the area. Iwobi back-heeled the ball first time into the path of the former Burnley winger, who swept a shot past Guaita from close range.
Frank Lampard believes a fit-again Dominic Calvert-Lewin will help Everton address the lack of goals and creativity that has hindered his team this season.
The England international, 25, made his first start of the campaign at Newcastle on Wednesday, when Everton suffered a third successive Premier League defeat. Lampard’s team did not have a shot on target at St James’ Park, or in last weekend’s defeat at Tottenham, and the manager admits they must improve in the final third after scoring eight goals in 11 league games.
The problem runs deep at a club that sold last season’s leading goalscorer, Richarlison. Everton have scored 70 goals in 72 league games since beating Sheffield United 1-0 on Boxing Day 2020 to go second under Carlo Ancelotti.
The Everton manager said: “You saw in terms of our recruitment that I felt the biggest necessity to improve our stability was defensively and through midfield. Now we have better competition, more stability in the feel of the team, and we are talking without Dominic really being in the equation because we haven’t had him. Now we have the next run of games with Dominic and Neal [Maupay] and you may see a change to that.
“I’m not expecting us to be as prolific as Manchester City but at the same time we need to work to get better. The hardest part of being a professional footballer is to score goals; that is why when you want to buy one of them to assist or score goals you better pay £60m to £80m. We don’t have to think of it that way. We have to think of what we have got here and the level of players here, which is a high level of player in my opinion, but we can definitely get more goals.”
Frank Lampard also wants to see more goals from Neal Maupay Photograph: MI News/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Lampard insists responsibility for improving Everton’s threat lies throughout the team and not only with Calvert-Lewin, whose recovery from a knee injury is being carefully managed. He wants more from Everton’s wingers, with Anthony Gordon scoring twice in 10 appearances this season, Demarai Gray twice in 12 appearances and Dwight McNeil once in 12 outings.
“Our wingers are relatively young,” he said. “None of them have scored as many goals as I think they should do and they can contribute more on that side. We work on that a lot and talk about it a lot and the reality is that we need to do that more.”
