Everton's players put their bodies on the line in a battling display that earned a deserved point just when their manager needed it.
As the Blues slumped to disappointing defeats either side of the World Cup break the threat of relegation has cast an unnerving shadow over the festive season. That fear is not removed by a draw at Premier League champions Manchester City.
But against the odds Everton 's season received a massive boost heading into the new year as Lampard's players repaid his backing with a display that rattled one of the best sides in the world. They did so with the help of an incredible away support that once again proved crucial in Everton's time of need.
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With minutes left Ben Godfrey picked up the ball deep in his own half and rode challenges to probe deep into City territory. His run ended with him collapsed in a heap and in need of being substituted but it was the perfect example of a player running himself into the ground to help Everton survive a late onslaught.
Minutes earlier Jordan Pickford saved from Riyad Mahrez and James Tarkowski threw his body in front of another effort as City were somehow kept at bay. Pickford was needed again - as were Seamus Coleman, Neal Maupay and others - as Everton survived 11 minutes of perilous added on time. But they made it. And they deserved it.
With Lampard under pressure following a gut-wrenching defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day, he needed his side to deliver for him. With City in form and boasting one of the most expensive squads ever assembled, most supporters looked to Brighton and Hove Albion, next, and then Southampton as the games to save hope for.
Those games remain crucial, as does strengthening during the transfer window. But at the end of a torturous year in which Everton came within a whisker of relegation, the side provided a morale-boosting performance that, at the very least, suggests those on the pitch are willing to fight for their manager and those in the stands.
The flashpoint was Demarai Gray's stunning equaliser. After conceding midway through the first half Everton grew into this game and just after the hour mark finally exploited an opportunity to break. Gray carried the ball from the halfway line to the edge of the hosts' box, halted his run, turned and - supported by the useful Vitalii Mykolenko support run that distracted defenders - even had time to fall over before curling beyond Ederson.
But this was a point built on so much more than a moment of magic.
Within the opening minutes Everton unnerved City and there was a needle in this game that was present throughout the 101 tense minutes. It led to seven bookings - including yellow cards for City stars Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland - as Everton fought for everything. Haaland was indeed fortunate to avoid a red card in the closing minutes of the first half after a reckless, late, sliding tackle through the back of Mykolenko.
The decision to only book him was considered by VAR, which ruled a yellow card and not a red one did not constitute a clear and obvious error. That tackle came after a John Stones header crashed off the outside of the post - one of few real chances for the home side as Everton pushed the game into the middle third after going behind with the help of the influential Amadou Onana.
That breakthrough had come after 24 minutes and with the home side dominating possession. De Bruyne had slid Haaland through on goal and the striker poked the ball past Pickford but could only hit the side netting from a tight angle in the first major chance. After that warning Everton conceded territory rather than opportunities.
But with the hosts camped 30 yards from Pickford's goal and Lampard's side struggling to find an outlet, a chance was inevitable. After persevering with little joy down Everton's right - the key moment being Bernardo Silva receiving a booking for a dive as he tried to win a foul from Nathan Patterson - City switched their focus to Everton's left after 20 minutes.
Riyad Mahrez rewarded them almost immediately, collecting a pass from Jack Grealish, turning Mykolenko and then crossing for Haaland who found space to fire in. The goal changed the game but perhaps did so in Everton's favour as City's intensity dimmed and Dominic Calvert-Lewin grew into the game, winning a free-kick from Nathan Ake to relieve pressure and then a header that kickstarted a pretty sequence of play that ended with a cross just drifting over the head of Mykolenko at the back post.
His hunt for match fitness ahead of a transfer window in which he is truly the most effective solution to Everton's search for goals was boosted by a useful hour in Manchester. He was unable to get on the scoresheet but, like so many of those around him, his fight was crucial to the result.
Also key was Everton's away support. The travelling fanbase has endured a hellish 2022 but from Southampton to Newcastle United they have sold out seats and out-sang home crowds. Once again they were the most vocal at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium.
Next week more than 9,000 will head to Manchester for the FA Cup game with Manchester United. They deserve to have more moments like today - celebrating at the end with their players and manager - in 2023 than they have in this previous year.
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