Rio Ferdinand spills text conversation with Frank Lampard before Everton beat Man Utd

Everton v Manchester United: Pictures

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Rio Ferdinand has revealed a conversation he had with Frank Lampard over text the night before Everton’s 1-0 win against Manchester United on Saturday. The Toffees took a massive step towards Premier League survival after United couldn’t respond to Anthony Gordon’s deflected first-half winner.

Goodison Park erupted at full-time. Everton had held on for just their third win in 10 league games under Lampard to move four points above Burnley in 17th. And the former Chelsea boss was as elated as anyone after defeat at Turf Moor on Wednesday intensified scrutiny over his position.

United struggled to get going at a ground typically challenging to go to, and Everton fans made sure to roar on their under-threat team until the final whistle. Ferdinand explained that after speaking to Lampard about the Goodison atmosphere from a visiting player’s perspective, he received the support he would’ve wanted from the home faithful.

He told BT Sport: “I texted him last night, and we were talking about how hard it was as players to come here and the atmosphere generated by the team. That’s what he’s been searching for, and that’s what he got. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t sexy football, and that’s probably not how Frank Lampard sees his teams playing in the long-term.”

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He continued: “Getting through a game like this with the grit, determination and desire, the fans feeding off that. Just being in an older stadium with the history it’s got and what can be generated here, I know they’ve got a new stadium coming, but this place is a hard place to play.

“They’ve got eight games left after this; they need to make this place a fortress. I don’t care who you are or how many big games you’ve played in your career, this is hard, hard football and they make it ugly, they compete. Scruffy goal, three points, huge, huge value.”

Saturday’s triumph could make it a season-defining day as Everton battle to maintain their long-standing top-flight status. But Lampard will know his side aren’t out of the woods yet, with Burnley capable of restoring their one-point gap with victory over Norwich City on Sunday.

Even if the Clarets fail to do so, Everton’s next four games pit them against Leicester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and the Foxes again. The Toffees must produce similar results against the league’s heavyweights if they want to avoid the drop in May.

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