Holgate shrugged off illness to help us reach a safe spot, says Lampard
FRANK Lampard revealed Mason Holgate climbed off his sick bed to cure Everton’s away-day blues and hand them a massive survival lifeline.
The defender’s header earned a vital 2-1 win at Leicester to propel the Toffees out of the Premier League relegation zone after a first away win since August.
They are a point above Leeds and Burnley with a game in hand, having been five points behind the Clarets before last week’s 1-0 win over Chelsea.
Vitalii Mykolenko’s brilliant volley had given them the lead only for comical defending to gift Patson Daka a leveller.
Holgate restored their lead before the break and Everton boss Lampard praised the defender as well as recognising the importance of the victory.
He said: “He was sick yesterday. He couldn’t train with us, couldn’t travel with us and arrived at the hotel separately and then woke up this morning and said, ‘I’m playing this game.’ That is the attitude which will get us through.
“We’re still in a relegation fight. If we want to get out of it, it has to be together as a club and we’ve seen that in recent weeks. [It is defining] only if we make it defining but it’s a huge result for confidence. We haven’t got back-to-back wins for a while so the players should take huge confidence.
“A week ago on Saturday we were five points from safety and now we’re a point safe but there is more to do. We can buy into it but we have to make sure we protect against over confidence.”
A fourth consecutive win for fourth-placed Arsenal lifts them four points clear of Tottenham ahead of Thursday’s north London derby.
Mikel Arteta is ready to lead the
Gunners into what could be the “defining moment” of their season knowing victory will seal a return to the Champions League.
A brace from Eddie Nketiah was just about enough to secure a 2-1 victory over 10-man Leeds to leave Arsenal on the cusp of ending a fiveyear wait for top-tier European football.
Leeds rallied despite having Luke Ayling sent off before the half-hour and pulled one back through Diego Llorente but have slipped into the Premier League bottom three.
“We are going to go for that match with the same enthusiasm that we always do but knowing that this can be a defining moment,” said Arteta.
“It can be another layer of motivation for us to really go for it. I can’t wait for the game.
“We have earned the right to play that game in that context. We started the season with nine or 10 players out and playing the best two teams in Europe.”
A Said Benrahma brace helped West Ham set aside their European disappointment as they thumped relegated Norwich 4-0.
Michail Antonio was also on target at Carrow Road, while Manuel Lanzini completed the scoring from the penalty spot. Victory for David Moyes’ visitors, who lost to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-finals last Thursday, gives them fresh hope of snatching sixth spot from Manchester United.
Moyes said: “I think considering all the things that happened in midweek and how our emotions were, it was a really good result.
“I thought the team started very well and gave us a decent platform to go and work from.
“To say Thursday was a big blow wouldn’t do it justice, how we feel. So to get us back today with that result was great credit to the players.”