Southampton 1-2 Everton: Conor Coady & Dwight McNeil open Toffees accounts in comeback win

Everton manager Frank Lampard insisted his side cannot rest on their laurels after recording back-to-back victories by coming from behind to beat Southampton.

The Toffees scored twice in a game for the first time this season to rack up successive wins for only the second time since Lampard took charge in January.

Summer signings Conor Coady and Dwight McNeil engineered a quickfire turnaround at St Mary’s as Everton, who only clinched survival in the penultimate game of last season, climbed to 11th in the Premier League.

“The minute we rest is our downfall – it’s important we realise there is a long way for us to go,” Lampard told BBC Match of the Day.

“There are glimpses – there were big glimpses against West Ham in our last game – but we haven’t had lots of time to work with the team.

“To work with the players that are in the team who weren’t here last year, on the way we want to play, those relationships throughout the pitch.

“There’s a nice competitive feel to the squad but we can get a lot better and we’ve got hard games coming up so we need to stay on it.”

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After a drab first 45 minutes, the match burst into life when Joe Aribo drilled Saints ahead with a fine left-footed finish early in the second half.

The Toffees had scored just five goals in their opening seven games, but turned the match around with two strikes in three minutes to extend their unbeaten run to six games.

Coady swept the visitors level from Amadou Onana’s excellent knockdown before McNeil flashed them ahead with a fierce shot that beat Gavin Bazunu at his near post.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, on his return from a thigh injury, made a fine save to deny Adam Armstrong, while Saints debutant Duje Caleta-Car volleyed over a great late chance as the hosts slipped to a fourth defeat in five.

Toffees’ travel sickness easing

This was only Everton’s second win in their past 21 away games, but Lampard soaked up the travelling support’s applause at the end in the knowledge their form on the road is showing signs of improving.

They had to withstand late Southampton pressure to add this win to hard-earned draws at Leeds and Brentford, but they were good value for their victory.

Demarai Gray was their standout first-half performer, flashing a 25-yard free-kick just over, sending in a cross that Coady just failed to stab home and then firing straight at Bazunu after a classy run.

It needed Aribo’s opener to light the fire under them, with two of Lampard’s marquee summer signings – on-loan Wolves and England defender Coady and £20m winger McNeil – opening their Toffees accounts.

Both goals owed to fine deliveries, Coady pouncing after Onana nodded down Gray’s free-kick and McNeil bringing down Alex Iwobi’s cross to crash past Bazunu.

But the defensive solidity Lampard has installed – only Manchester City have conceded fewer goals this season – was also on show through a string of vital blocks and tackles, with Pickford on hand when needed.

“It is certainly not the end of the story and we need a lot more progression to get to where we need to get to, but it is a positive that we have a stronger spine about us now,” Lampard added.

No home comforts for Saints

Southampton’s four defeats in five have all come by single-goal margins, but they have now lost seven of their past 10 at St Mary’s despite claiming an impressive win over Chelsea during that run.

They have failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 consecutive matches and paid the price for switching off defensively so soon after Aribo fired them ahead – the first time this season Saints have opened the scoring.

The summer signing from Rangers has been one of their brightest sparks – he was one of six changes made by Ralph Hasenhuttl for this game, but Stuart Armstrong was the only other to make any impact.

Caleta-Car – one of three making a full debut, alongside Juan Larios and Ainsley Maitland-Niles – could have rescued a point in stoppage time but steered over on the volley.

Adam Armstong was also twice denied by Pickford to leave Southampton three points above the bottom three, with a daunting trip to champions Manchester City up next on 8 October.

“We never stopped playing or trying. The effort was there, but the effort alone is not enough – you need to have the quality to score in the right moments,” Hasenhuttl said to BBC Match of the Day.

“Premier League football is brutal when you don’t score and you concede. This is what happened today and this is what this young team has to learn.”

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