Frank Lampard has insisted a misunderstanding was the cause of the ugly scenes following Everton's defeat to Bournemouth.
The Toffees were beaten 3-0 at the Vitality Stadium, with the way fans making their unhappiness with their side's performance clear following the game. Lampard was forced to drag his players away from their own supporters as they angrily demonstrated with his team.
Alex Iwobi also saw his shirt thrown back at him after sending it into the stands, with a wall of security forming a barrier. Lampard has defended the Everton fans for their angry reaction and insisted that the incident with Iwobi was merely a "misunderstanding".
"I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding, Alex [Iwobi] had some friends that he was concerned about that were sort of at the front of the fans, there was nothing in that, and the players just have to accept the fans have a right to voice their opinions," he said.
"The fans have a right to be disappointed. They have come down here twice this week and seen poor performances. And before that we had been going OK and then they see performances they don't like.
"So when we are pleased they are happy after Palace, when we are pleased that they give us a welcome, we have to understand that they can voice their opinions and their opinions are right today.
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"It's not a nice moment but sometimes you have to suck it up in terms of being humble about the fact the performance was not good enough. So you have to go over and it is not a moment to clap and cheer, we get that. It is a moment to go over and [acknowledge] the fact they are there and it wasn't good enough."
Goals from Marcus Tavernier, Keiffer Moore and Jaidon Anthony were enough to condemn the Toffees to a defeat that leaves them 17th in the table. And Lampard insisted that his players had not performed to the required standard on the south coast.
"The fans have their dues to be unhappy today because they travelled down to support the club. They're brilliant for us for us at times and today they can show what they feel about the game because they probably feel like I do," he told Sky Sports.
"They were sharper than us, more aggressive than us and that's the responsibility of the players and mine. I can't run on the pitch but I can talk to them before the game, but they have to show the action on the pitch and they didn't show it today.
"It was not a good one. Clearly to lose in the manner we did. I think we started ok, a mistake gives them a goal and then I think the referee gives it wrong, the game should stop, Tarkowski's in the six-yard box with a head injury.
"So the game should stop. We were told that rule two weeks ago because it happened against us so I think the referee got that one wrong. I won't lean on that too much. But it's difficult to get back into the game. It changes the tone at 2-0, makes it a completely different game but we have to take responsibility for it and it wasn't enough."
