Everton FC News: We deserved to beat Chelsea - David Moyes

Feb 11 2010 by Philip Kirkbride, Liverpool Daily Post

Everton FC News: DELIGHTED David Moyes says Everton’s victory over league leaders Chelsea was reward for the run of form they have put together.

Two goals from striker Louis Saha – his 100th and 101st strikes in the league – handed the Goodison Park outfit their fourth win in six matches and the manager’s first win over the Stamford Bridge side.

Moving up to ninth in the Premier League table, Moyes believes the triumph over Carlo Ancelotti’s men leaves Everton in great shape for a testing February which sees the side pick up their Europa League campaign as well as go into matches with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Moyes was quick to praise the impact of Saha but has once more challenged the Frenchman to fire Everton towards qualification for Europe on a night the manager says his hitman terrorised John Terry and could have easily doubled his tally.

But Everton were not to rue Saha’s first half penalty miss as the France international bagged the winning goal with 15 minutes remaining to send the home support in raptures.

Moyes said: “It was a terrific result and it just really shows the way we have been playing in the recent weeks and months.

“It sets us up for a difficult February which we knew it is going to be with the games we’ve got this month.

“It shows the players who have come in and done excellent and shows what we have got in the squad.

“To go a goal behind and come back was great, I don’t know how many teams do that against Chelsea.

“We had to hang in, for 20 minutes Chelsea were fantastic their inter-change of positions made it very difficult to get close to them and Malouda, Zhirkov and Lampard’s movement was hard to deal with.

“The goal was the turning point, when we got back in it.

“I thought everybody in the ground grew and felt better, I don’t think you could have argued if we had gone in at half-time 2-1 up and in the second half the players turned the screw and smothered Chelsea at every opportunity.

“We had to withstand pressure in the last 10 or 15 minutes but the players done a great job.

“Louis should have got four and I have challenged him again. I have given him a slight pat on the back, but not a full one.

“I thought he played really well down at Stamford Bridge (in December’s 3-3 draw) against them and he it did again tonight. I think John Terry was worried when the long ball dropped over the top, but John Terry is a top centre-half and if they don’t want him, then I’ll have him.

“I think every so often Louis has got that ability where you go ‘what a good player he is’.

“At Everton we need that consistency and I think he will get that with the games. Centre-forwards thrive on goals, goals give them confidence and he will feel really good, he deserves to be because he scored two really good goals.

“I think we were all thinking ‘how many chances do you get against Chelsea?’ but I have got to give the players great credit because they went and did again and went on.

“We played well on Saturday (against Liverpool) and the players picked up on that again tonight.”

Moyes still admits he would rather have tasted his first ever win over Chelsea as manager last May when the sides met in the FA Cup final, but was nevertheless thrilled with how his troops performed last night.

Though Saha stole the headlines with the goals which sunk the Londonders, American loanee Landon Donovan also came in for high praise from his manager.

But as much as Everton would welcome Donovan making his stay at Goodison a permanent one, Moyes concedes he is unlikely to stay beyond his current loan deal.

“I would rather have won in the FA Cup final if I had my way but I didn’t. But the reason why you don’t beat Chelsea is they have bought really good players and spent heavily so it makes the games really difficult. I don’t think Chelsea play Everton with any form of complacency; there may be other teams in the Premier League where that happens but I don’t think any of the top teams against Everton because they know they are always going to have a game if they are not at it.

“Landon played really well tonight, it may have been his best game for us. I thought he did really well and tracked Ashley Cole, who we know is great going forward, and made intelligent runs inside him which at times caught him out.

“I don’t think we will be able to keep him beyond his loan, it was always going to be the loan and he has just signed a new contract at LA Galaxy.

“I don’t think that would probably happen.”