Frank Lampard has explained his substitution of Nathan Patterson 45 minutes into his Everton debut.
The January transfer window signing from Rangers was taken off at half-time during Thursday night's FA Cup clash with non-league Boreham Wood at Goodison Park.
The change followed a first half in which Premier League Everton - who had lined-up with three centre-backs and Patterson and captain-for-the-night Vitalii Mykolenko at wing-backs - had failed to break through their National League opponents.
Lampard had clearly seen enough and switched to a flat-back four and two men up top.
And it was Patterson who was the player to be sacrificed as the young Scotland international right-back was replaced by Brazil forward Richarlison.
The change paid dividends with a brace of goals from Richarlison's strike-partner Salomon Rondon seeing the Blues to an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win.
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But asked about his decision to take off Patterson, Everton boss Lampard said: "In my role unfortunately you have to make decisions.
"Sometimes they're not emotional, they're practical, and yesterday it was absolutely practical to have to change - and Nathan was the choice.
"I thought he did okay in the game. I was pleased for him to have his debut, we brought him in for a reason, and what Nathan will feel from myself and the staff is a real engagement and desire to work with him.
"He's a young player, who's a developing player still, and he will feel our support of how we want him to play and how we want him to develop.
"Things like that happen at that stage of your career, whoever you are. As a younger player you have to take something like this on the chin and understand that this is high-level, and keep working.
"And that's all he has to do."
