Anthony Gordon insists he retained belief Everton would claim a survival-clinching three points against Crystal Palace, even when the visitors stormed ahead at a thunderous Goodison Park on Thursday.

The recovery from a two-goal half-time deficit, insisted Gordon, was illustrative of the character and spirit stamped through Frank Lampard’s team.

For Gordon, the high-octane, pressure occasion capped a breakthrough campaign that has amounted to a stern examination of the 21-year-old’s quality and nerve and personality.

He has passed every test, coming from a long way back at the outset of the campaign to originally establish an intermittent starting position.

The arrival of Lampard acted as a cue for Gordon to really flourish and the forward, who joined the Club aged 11, has started 19 of the manager’s 20 games across the competitions.

“Everyone in the world would have written us off at 2-0 down,” Gordon told evertontv.

“But I knew we’d win, for some reason.

“The past couple of weeks we’ve been incredible, with the spirit of the team, we’ve been all together.

“I knew we had it in us to do that [turn Palace game on its head].

“You saw the scenes at the end, what a club, we shouldn’t be in that situation but it was where we found ourselves.

“Only good characters and good team spirit get you out of situations like that.”

As a graduate of the Club’s Academy and in-your-face competitor, Gordon swiftly formed a bond with Evertonians following his First-Team elevation.

Gordon, who has made 39 of his 59 Everton appearances this term, was given his senior debut as a 16-year-old substitute in a Europa League tie in Cyprus way back in December 2017.

He had a two-year wait for his next look-in: an appearance off the bench in a Goodison League Cup tie with Leicester City.

His first Premier League action followed one month later, at West Ham United in January 2020, before a first start in the competition in June 2020, when Everton restarted the delayed campaign with a scoreless home Merseyside derby.

Gordon spent the second half of last term on loan in the Championship with Preston North End.

Returning to Goodison for 2021/22, he made significant personal advances during a predominantly trying season for the Club.

The charismatic Lampard oversaw a considerable about-turn in the closing months, however, co-ordinating a series of coherent and productive Everton performances and strengthening ties between the team and the Club’s ardent fanbase.

Everton won four and drew two of their past eight matches, recording three clean sheets and scoring 10 times for a positive goal difference across the period.

“We’ve been putting in better performances and been more together,” added Gordon, who will aim to add to his four goals and three assists for the season when Everton finish at Arsenal on Sunday.

“That is due to a better relationship with the fans. They’ve been all in, due to the situation.

“I have never seen support like it, anywhere, they have been amazing and were there for us when we needed them.

“To share that night with the fans was incredible.”