Two Brentford goals in 119 seconds denied nine-man Everton Premier League safety as a 3-2 home defeat leaves them with work to do for survival
Everton's fans had been rewarded for another raucous Goodison Park welcome when Dominic Calvert-Lewin got the final touch on Richarlison's glancing header from a free-kick as the hosts flew out of the traps, knowing victory would be enough to secure their Premier League place for another season
But their afternoon took a sudden turn soon after when Jarrad Branthwaite misjudged a long ball forward and ended up hauling Ivan Toney over, and as the last man he was shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver
Seamus Coleman's unfortunate own goal header from a Yoane Wissa cross (37) threatened to turn the tide away from the hosts, but they restored their lead on the stroke of half-time with a Richarlison penalty after Mads Sorensen had fouled him
A week after Brentford scored twice in 61 seconds against Southampton, they scored two in two minutes on the hour to finally make the most of their numerical advantage, with Wissa nodding in a corner (62) before Rico Henry headed home a Christian Eriksen cross (64)
An afternoon already overshadowed by a moment of ill-discipline got worse for Everton late on, as substitute Salomon Rondon became the second player dismissed for a two-footed lunge on Henry
Everton remain 16th but only two points outside the relegation zone, following Leeds' late equaliser against Brighton earlier on Sunday, while Brentford's hopes of a top-half finish remain in tact as they remain 11th
Everton's nightmare season has looked like ending in the serene waters of safety in recent weeks with their form coupled with drop-offs for Leeds and Burnley, and when Calvert-Lewin's deflection fired them ahead early on, it appeared today would be the day
But they were always facing an uphill struggle once Branthwaite was shown red with 72 minutes left, and it was to their credit that they made it to half-time in front courtesy of Richarlison's penalty
"The start was great, we could have scored three
 The red card changes the game completely," manager Lampard later told 
"To get the centre-half sent off so early killed the game plan," former Everton defender Phil Jagielka added on The attitude to get to half-time ahead, you wondered if they could get the job done - but at half-time it was always going to be a really difficult second half
"It transpired that the home defence could only hold out for another quarter of an hour, although there was no excuse for the collapse after Wissa's equaliser to then concede again within two minutes
And with the knowledge a late equaliser could still prove decisive in the fight against relegation, Everton were again their own worst enemies as Rondon was shown a straight red for a needless, petulant lunge on Henry
A stony-faced Thomas Frank trudged off at half-time knowing his side had been below-par to trail to a team who had played for half an hour with a man less
His team re-emerged without centre-back Mads Sorensen, with midfielder Vitaly Janelt in his place
 The midfielder has played in defence before, but previously only out of necessity
"It was mainly because I wanted to play more
 It was a back four when we defended but a back three when we attacked
 That was the main reason I made the change," Frank told  after full-time
The switch did the trick and Brentford did look more comfortable in the inevitable swathes of possession they enjoyed after the break, but it was not until right-back Kristoffer Ajer was taken off for Josh Dasilva - another midfielder who dropped into the backline - that they found their breakthrough
That back three in possession allowed Henry to play a greater part in Brentford's attack, and it was he who won the corner leading to Wissa's equaliser, before he nodded home the winning goal himself two minutes later
Lampard felt Branthwaite's red card could have been avoided had Everton been given a penalty for what appeared a shirt-pull on Richarlison moments beforehand, but conceded his young defender had been at fault to bring down Ivan Toney
His red card means the Toffees will be without another centre-half for their final two games, and Lampard suggested at least two more may still be missing when they host Crystal Palace on Thursday night
He told : "There was a possible penalty in the build-up for a clear pull on Richarlison's shirt
 You wonder if a player should go down because it's a penalty
 The ball goes down the other end and it's a mistake by Jared Braithwaite to let him run behind
"The players gave every drop
 The fans gave every drop
 Big circumstances went against us
 Hopefully Michael Keane will be back on Thursday
 I'm not hopeful of Mina or Godfrey
 We had three centre-backs out today
 it's very difficult
 Seamus played there
 We played a back three at the end
 Everyone has given everything,"The important thing is we have a positive attitude
 It's in our hands at Goodison again hopefully with 11 on the pitch
 The effort was incredible
 The players deserve a little rest
 The legs are hanging off a bit with all the injuries
"Everton host Crystal Palace on Thursday at 7
45pm
 On the final day of the Premier League season, Everton travel to Arsenal and Brentford host Leeds United on Sunday at 4pm
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