Everton remain one of six English clubs to never have been relegated from the Premier League, but the Toffees came close to spectacularly dropping out of the top tier this season.

Last summer, many predicted that the club could challenge for a European finish this term, but a hugely disappointing campaign saw them finish in 16th position, just four points above Burnley in 18th.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look back at Everton's 2021-22 campaign, which will have been troubling for everyone associated with the Merseysiders.

SEASON OVERVIEW

Final league position: 16th

EFL Cup: Third round

FA Cup: Quarter-finals

Top scorer: Richarlison (11)

Most assists: Demarai Gray, Richarlison (five)

Rafael Benitez's appointment as head coach was controversial to say the least, but the former Liverpool manager managed to get the fans onside with an excellent start to the campaign, with the Toffees winning four of their opening six Premier League games, while they lost just one of their first seven.

However, the wheels fell off following their 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the start of October, with a troubling run of form seeing them lose six of their next seven, and Benitez had to wait until the start of December against Arsenal to enjoy another victory, with their last arriving at the end of September.

The Toffees did manage to beat Huddersfield Town 2-1 in the second round of the EFL Cup, but they lost on penalties to Queens Park Rangers in the third round.

The festive period was also tough for Everton, as they continued to suffer defeats, and Benitez was eventually sacked in the middle of January, with the 2-1 loss at Norwich City proving to be the final straw.

Duncan Ferguson was in charge on an interim basis between January 18 and January 31, before Frank Lampard was confirmed as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

Lampard has certainly had ups and downs since arriving at Goodison Park, and he ended the campaign with a record of eight wins, two draws and 11 defeats from 21 matches. Notable league victories over Manchester United and Chelsea ultimately played a key role in their survival, and the 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on May 19 would have been a standout moment for the former England international.

The 2021-22 campaign ended with a 5-1 defeat at Arsenal, but Lampard had managed to navigate a way to Premier League survival, which was the main goal upon his arrival earlier this year.

The Premier League and EFL Cup were both lows for Everton this term, but the Merseyside giants did manage to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, beating Hull City, Brentford and Boreham Wood before suffering a 4-0 defeat to fellow top-flight side Crystal Palace on March 20.

Everton's recruitment over the last 12 months has been questionable, with a number of signings finding it difficult to make their mark, although injuries have not helped the club this season, and there will be huge changes at Goodison Park ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Demarai Gray was arguably the pick of the club's arrivals, with the 25-year-old managing six goals and five assists in 39 appearances this term, while Andros Townsend had also been a positive signing before picking up a serious knee injury which ended his campaign in March.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin also did not have the season that he might have, missing a lot of football with a fractured toe, and he only contributed five Premier League goals in 2021-22, but Richarlison was often the star of the show, finishing with a respectable total of 11 goals and five assists in all competitions.

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Wins: 11 (15th)
Draws: 6 (=8th)
Losses: 21 (3rd)
Goals scored: 43 (13th)
Goals conceded: 66 (5th)
Yellow cards: 78 (4th)
Red cards: 6 (1st)
Passes: 12,942 (18th)
Shots: 437 (14th)
Big chances missed: 24 (20th)
Saves: 128 (6th)
Tackles: 706 (2nd)
Own goals: 5 (1st)
Hit woodwork: 8 (18th)
Clearances: 774 (5th)

HOW DID IT COMPARE TO LAST SEASON?

Under Carlo Ancelotti, Everton finished 10th in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, while they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

At the time, it seemed like an underwhelming season, especially considering the calibre of their manager, but there is no question that the Toffees would have taken 10th this term.

Calvert-Lewin struck 21 times in all competitions last term, though, and as mentioned, the England international's injury problems harmed him this season.

Everton won 17 Premier League games last season, in contrast to just 11 this term, while they were only two points behind eighth-place Arsenal in 2020-21, which is another indication of their struggles this season.

Interestingly, the Toffees only scored four times fewer in the Premier League this season (43) than they did last (47), but they were a lot stronger defensively in 2020-21, shipping just 48 in their 38 games, while this season the Merseyside outfit let in 66, which was among the worst records in the division.

Everton were excellent on their travels in the Premier League last season, recording 11 victories, but they won just twice away from home in England's top flight this term, which is a huge difference.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON - RICHARLISON

Everton will do well to keep hold of Richarlison during this summer's transfer window, as a number of clubs are believed to be keen to take him away from the Toffees ahead of next season.

The 25-year-old has finished the campaign with 11 goals and five assists in 33 appearances, with 10 of those strikes coming in the Premier League, including efforts in his last two outings against Brentford and Crystal Palace.

Richarlison has now scored 53 goals and registered 14 assists in 152 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions, while he has a record of 48 goals and 18 assists in 173 Premier League outings during his time at Watford and his current side.

There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a very tough season for Everton, but Richarlison has been hugely important in terms of avoiding relegation, with the Brazilian recovering from some injury problems to play a vital role since Lampard's arrival as head coach.

STANDOUT RESULT

The wins over Man United, Chelsea and Leicester City towards the latter stages of the campaign were huge, but Everton's 3-2 success over Palace on May 19 has to go down as their standout result.

Indeed, the Toffees were 2-0 down at Goodison Park in their penultimate match of the campaign, but Michael Keane and Richarlison managed to level the scores at 2-2 before Calvert-Lewin came up with an 85th-minute winner, sparking jubilant scenes inside the stadium.

The victory secured survival for Everton ahead of their final game of the season at Arsenal, and it demonstrated that the players are ready to fight for Lampard, which should stand them in good stead for next term.

> Click here for a full list of Everton's results from the 2021-22 season

BEST MOMENT

Calvert-Lewin has had a tough campaign, but the forward created pandemonium inside Goodison Park with his diving header from a Gray free kick in the latter stages of the clash against Palace.

The goal was just the 25-year-old's fifth in the Premier League this term, and it felt like a standout moment for the Englishman, Lampard and the club as a whole.

Lampard would also have enjoyed the key wins over Man United and Chelsea at Goodison, but there was such huge relief when the Toffees managed to secure their safety at this level for another campaign, as relegation to the Championship would have been an absolute disaster for such a monster of a football club.

TOP PRIORITY FOR SUMMER

Everton need to improve their squad this summer with the arrival of a number of new signings, while Lampard will also be desperate to move those on who are not a part of the project.

However, keeping hold of both Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin must be the priority for the club. There will be plenty of takers for the pair this summer due to their quality, with Calvert-Lewin showing during the 2020-21 campaign that he is capable of being a real force at this level.

Richarlison, meanwhile, has had a solid season in a poor team, and the Brazilian will surely want assurances over the club's summer plans before deciding whether he will be a part of it.

Defensively, the club have been nowhere near good enough this season and that area of the field will need to undergo major surgery ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

With the right additions, Everton can push for a European finish next term, but it would send out completely the wrong message if they allowed their two star forwards to leave.

FINAL VERDICT

Lampard's main goal upon his arrival was to keep Everton in the Premier League, and the fact that they have not been relegated to the Championship must be taken as a huge positive.

However, it has been a frustrating and entirely underwhelming campaign for Everton, who should have been pushing for a potential position in the Europa Conference League considering the quality of their squad.

For many, the Toffees will be the team to watch next season, and it will be fascinating to see whether Lampard can stamp his authority on the team in the new campaign, as they are simply too big a football club to be struggling at the wrong end of the division.