Everton boss Frank Lampard said he broke his hand celebrating his side’s injury-time victory over Newcastle, but admitted he would suffer one every week if it meant similar results.
Alex Iwobi Winner it came in the 99th minute after teammate Allan was sent off in the 83rd minute in a game delayed by a second-half protest.
“I did it to celebrate the goal,” Lampard said as his team moved three points clear of the relegation zone.
“I just hooked up with something”
He added: “I didn’t hit anything, but I realized two minutes later my hand was shaking and it hurt. I’ll take it for all three points.”
The victory was only Everton’s second in 13 matches, but it came after a controversial dismissal of Allan, in which referee Craig Pawson overturned his decision after initially awarding him a yellow card.
Lampard said he was “frustrated” with the decision, especially after his side were denied a hand during a 1-0 loss to Manchester City last month, prompting an apology from referee chief Mike Riley.
“Now we lose Allan by three games, hopefully the Referees Association can say we were wrong.” [too]Lampard said.
But he said he was pleased by what he called “a night of coming together and fighting” at an emotional Goodison Park.
He also revealed that the win came after chairman Bill Kenwright delivered an “impassioned” speech to players at training ground on Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s my formations or my cunning that’s going to keep us up. It’s part of the bigger picture, but it’s the people and the players that are going to keep us up, and the fans when we get together.”
“I thought the start of the game was a bit special. I know I’m new to this, an afternoon game at Goodison, but you could feel the crowd. Maybe they had a couple of pints of Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day. Fair play , we need that. We need them behind us.
“If we get out of this it’s together, the fans and the players did their part.”
On Kenwright’s visit, he added: “The president came to training ground yesterday of his own free will and gave a talk to the guys for half an hour and that’s not normal.
“A lot of presidents are corporate, but our president grew up an Everton fan. He takes the stick, but he and [chief executive] Denise Barrett-Baxendale and [board member] Graeme Sharpe were there.
“I talk to the players all the time, and it’s not an easy audience, 25 youngsters, but the president showed his passion for the club. It was a big deal for me and for us.”
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