Frank Lampard says Everton are actively aiming to improve their attacking threat following a second successive narrow defeat at the outset of the Premier League campaign.

Manager Lampard insisted Everton’s performance at Aston Villa on Saturday, coupled with the sustained pressure applied on the hosts in the closing stages, merited more than a barren return.

But the away side’s forceful response after Villa doubled their advantage with five minutes remaining yielded only an own goal from former Everton left-back Lucas Digne.

Everton, who gave a full debut to Conor Coady, fell behind when Villa broke for Danny Ings to strike on 31 minutes.

Lampard’s team – unfortunate, once more, with injuries after losing Abdoulaye Doucoure to a hamstring problem on 34 minutes – couldn’t convert a handful of good opportunities following the restart.

When Emiliano Buendia tapped in the home team’s second on the counter-attack, then, the outcome appeared settled.

But Amadou Onana, on as a late substitute for a first Everton appearance, charged down the left to deliver the cross that forced an error from Digne and threw a new complexion on the game.

And Onana and Anthony Gordon, twice, had chances to level as Everton laid siege to the Villa goal.

“I thought we should have got a draw at the end of the game,” said Lampard.

“We had two or three really good chances late on.

“When we were set defensively and organised, I don't think they gave us huge problems. When we gave the ball away, in a couple of transitions, they scored two goals – and that's the reality of Premier League football.

“You can't make those mistakes and give the ball away because when you're open, you can get punished for that.

“At the end, the spirit was good and you come away with a bad feeling that you didn't get a point out of it.”

Everton continued with the front three of Demarai Gray, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil in the ongoing absence of gun striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Salomon Rondon came off the bench 19 minutes after half-time and was involved in the build-up to his team’s goal.

Lampard tweaked his formation as the chase for an equaliser grew more urgent, introducing Dele and Onana and switching to a back-four.

Coady was one of the two players to make way but there is no concern over the defender’s fitness, according to Lampard, who insists the forward trio deployed against Villa, and in the 1-0 defeat by Chelsea seven days ago, represent the strongest hand from the pack dealt the manager at the beginning of the campaign.

“Without a genuine focal point, the necessity is that the three players up there have to be really active and mobile,” continued Lampard.

“They have to run in behind and be strong when they get balls into feet.

“We're not the only team [to use a ‘false-nine’] – it's very common now in the Premier League and elsewhere that sides play without absolute focal points.

“It's been put on us a little bit but, at the same time, we were short up there in the first half.

“In the second half we were much better and you saw the threat straight away.

“We were more active in our play. But, of course, when you don't have that focal point, sometimes it can make you less of a threat. It's something we're obviously looking at.”

Lampard confirmed the midfield duo of Allan and Andre Gomes were unavailable this weekend due to injury.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin is fit but didn’t make the cut for the matchday party.

On Coady and Doucoure, Lampard added: Conor had a bang on the head and a little bit of cramp, but there's no problem.

“Doucoure has a hamstring injury that we will assess in the next few days. It wasn't a sudden ping, it was more of a tightness - so we will see.

“[Losing Doucoure was significant] because in two games we've had injuries and had to use a sub in the first half [Ben Godfrey was hurt in the opening half against Chelsea].

“You can't call that, but when you have to make a change it can obviously affect the team, no matter who you are losing or bringing in.

“It was an important factor - not the factor, but an important one.”