The FA will investigate a ‘homophobic chant’ aimed at Lampard and there are concerns for Iwobi who was in tears after a nasty injury.
Manchester United eased past Everton in the FA Cup Third Round, with a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford on Friday night with a big attendance in both the home and away sections.
Antony opened the scoring four minutes in, before Conor Coady levelled 10 minutes later, but then scored an unfortunate own goal seven minutes into the second half, then Rashford scored a 97th minute penalty to wrap the game up.
It was marred however over chant aimed towards the Toffees boss and refers to his time as a player and manager of Chelsea.
Frank Lampard is a Chelsea rent boy pic.twitter.com/mDNt6Pz5Ze
— Gunwin (@GunwinM27) January 7, 2023
In a statement issued on Friday, England’s football governing body say that it would be working with the Crown Prosecution Service and police in order to get to the bottom of the incident.
“We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term,” the statement read. “Part of our work in this area has been to provide the relevant authorities with impact statements from LGBTQ+ supporters, detailing how chants of this nature affects their experience and feeling of inclusion at football matches, so that a clearer stance and understanding on the chant can be established.
“We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and we are striving to ensure our game is a safe environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct both on and off the pitch.”
Official LGBTQ+ United supporters’ group Rainbow Devils tweeted on Friday that it condemned the chants aimed at Lampard. The tweet said: “We strongly condemn the taunting of Frank Lampard with the illegal and homophobic chant from a section of our fans and call for the club to take action. We call on Manchester United to do everything in their power to identify the culprits and deal with them in the strongest possible manner.”
A statement from United following the incident read: “Homophobia, like all forms of discrimination, has no place in football. Manchester United is proud of our diverse fan base and the work we have done to reduce instances like we sadly heard today.
“We will continue to campaign for inclusivity and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online. This includes working with fan groups to educate fans on the offence which discriminatory language causes.”
Meanwhile, there are concerns for Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi who left the pitch in tears and on a stretcher after picking up a ‘nasty’ ankle injury.
The Nigerian was forced off just five minutes into the second half after colliding with Man Utd defender Tyrell Malacia, and then landed awkwardly on his ankle. Certainly leaving many wincing when watching footage of it back.
The 26-year-old was serious pain before medical staff assisted him, being placed onto a stretcher and off the pitch.
He hid his face with his shirt, and appeared to be in tears as he made his way off.
“It’s a robust challenge from Malacia and what’s happened is Iwobi’s planted his foot down and rolled right over the top on his ankle,” said Andy Townsend commentating on the game.
“It’s a painful one and he’s in some distress. It’s a nasty one and I sincerely hope he’s alright.
“It’s a real 50/50 but he’s rolled his ankle, he’s done his ankle ligaments I think. Watching reruns of that I don’t like it, it’s a real shame.
“He’s at full tilt and when he lands he really rolls his ankle over.
“It’s innocuous, there’s no intent or malice in it, it’s just one of those horrible things that happen in our game.”
Not a nice injury suffered from Alex Iwobi pic.twitter.com/xkphpZySVW
— Marc – Fut Trader (@MarcFUTTrader) January 6, 2023
Iwobi pic.twitter.com/y7y1aceJ2v
— فيــدتـش (@SIRDLVMedia) January 6, 2023
Frank Lampard is hopeful Alex Iwobi’s ankle ligament injury is “not too serious” after confirming the Everton midfielder will go for a scan on Saturday.
Lampard told evertontv: “We hope it’s not too serious.
“It is an ankle ligament injury, we hope it’s a lesser one. He will have a scan tomorrow to confirm.”
Lampard, speaking on ITV: “I think we deserved better. The players were very, very good in a sense of organisation, the game plan, the work ethic. Things which should be basics in football but people question them when you have a performance like we did the other night.
“We were really good. We had the better chances I think. Good chances for us and a goal disallowed. Marcus Rashford was probably the difference between the teams. A top individual talent can do that to you.”
On his future: “That’s not under my control. It’s not for me to focus on that. It’s for me to focus on what I saw tonight and that was a performance that every manager wants with the attitude of the team, and the focus. The focus now is Southampton.
“This league can change very quickly and when you’re in a difficult run you have to work really hard to get out of it but it can change.
“I don’t want to talk about my future, I only want to talk about the players and how well they played. My focus is on this team and getting a result against Southampton.”
On the fans reaction: “When the players perform with the spirit of an Everton player, the fans will react to that. Even in defeat and that says a lot. We can’t harp on too much about the fans, I don’t want to hear that talk about the fans too much in a football sense.
“The game next week is at Goodison and we need to make the fans feel about the team like they did tonight – and then go out and try to win the game.”
More from Lampard: “We had spirit and bravery to play. We didn’t concede spaces to Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford and managed to get upfield at pace. We went 1-0 down here with our form this week, but we have been to Manchester twice recently and got a draw against City – one of the best teams in the world – and should have got something tonight.”
Everton defender Conor Coady: “We are in a bad way, bad place and everyone wants to get out of it. We came here with a plan and stuck to it. To lose the game to an own goal and penalty, it is gutting.
“We are not enjoying it and need to get out of it quickly. The manager is fantastic with all of us, outstanding, and he understands the football club. We need to keep listening to him and need to keep fighting for him everyday. That is what we will do as a team.”
On ‘sack the board’ banners: “As football players, that is not our domain. We focus on trying to get results, we love this football club and we need to keep fighting. At the minute, we are not a team that can play pretty football but we go out there and give 200%.”
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag on Marcus Rashford: “He is in good form and on a good run, keep it going. If he keeps focus, concentration and the good work. If he keeps investing in training and games, I am convinced he can keep it going.
“It was a game with a lot of tackles from both teams, we are happy to win this game and really happy to get into the next round.”
On Everton: “I think their performance was really good, they played brave on the front foot and they went forwards. The audience got the perfect game, a good show and we are happy with the win.”
“I know Manchester United are always aiming for trophies and we are going for that. We cannot force this and have to focus on the next game, not focus on trophies, that is far away. We have to work on the team and development.”
On whether the players are equipped to win trophies: “I think we will have that, we can fight and fight back if necessary. We can act and stay composed so we have resilience. We have good skills in the team to win games and win prizes.”
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, speaking on ITV: “It’s always nice to go through in cup games and the FA Cup is definitely a special one to play in. We’re pleased to go through to the next round and more importantly we keep momentum going and winning games.”
On Everton: “They’re under a bit of pressure but I thought they did well, they didn’t panic after they conceded so early on. They got back into the game twice – one was offside – so they’re still fighting for each other as a team. Hopefully things get better for them.”
On his form: “In terms of performances, it’s probably the best that I’ve been so I feel good on the pitch, I’m getting into positions and areas to score goals. If I keep creating chances, I feel like I’ll keep scoring.”
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