Everton manager Frank Lampard said there was still much room for improvement but was relieved with a first Premier League win of the season in a nervy 1-0 success over West Ham United at Goodison Park on Sunday.
A goal from new signing Neal Maupay early in the second half settled a contest that sprang to life only after the break as Everton had to weather a West Ham storm after going in front.
But the home side also created enough in the game to have won by a greater margin and Lampard hoped that would be the springboard to improved performances, particularly in attack.
“The reality is we’ve worked hard this season and deserved more,” he told SkySports. “To hold on, fight, dig in, we showed a lot of parts. We’ll get better. This team has to be a reflection of the fans.
“The passion of the fans, they demand things and they’d better see them. We have players who can deliver that, characters.
“Hopefully our football can get even better. Nobody is getting carried away. At the moment there's a decent feeling around the place.”
Lampard was pleased for Maupay, who arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion in the transfer window and had a number of chances to score on debut in the goalless Merseyside Derby last time out.
“He's a proven Premier League scorer. We played some games early season with false nines, trying to find solutions,” Lampard said.
“There were times in games with that bit of clinical finishing, we would have got more points. How close he kept that first touch and how quickly he shot is why he scored.
“You can see we’ve added a lot in the dressing room. We have to be hard to beat.”
Everton are next in action after the international break, away at Southampton on October 1.
West Ham United manager David Moyes was “really annoyed” that his side only kicked into gear after going a goal down.
“We didn't play well. I've got to say, I don't think Everton played well either,” Moyes told reporters.
“Did we deserve to win? No. Did we deserve to lose? Probably.”
West Ham showed more urgency after Maupay's goal, striking the woodwork through substitute Said Benrahma, but Moyes said he was “really annoyed” they were unable to raise their game sooner.
“It showed me that they had more to give but really, they stepped up a little bit after that,” Moyes said.
“Obviously, I understand Everton probably got the goal and probably felt that they needed to try to protect it. They made it look as if we were playing a bit better at that period, but I genuinely didn't think there was an awful lot in the game.”
West Ham, who have just one win from seven league games, next host 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 1. — Reuters