The Everton boss felt that his Everton side produced their best performance of the season against Chelsea
David Moyes applauds the fans after Everton's 3-0 win against Chelsea
David Moyes applauds the fans after Everton's 3-0 win against Chelsea(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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David Moyes thanked the supporters as he reflected on Everton’s greatest night at their new home.
Huge crowds lined the road outside Hill Dickinson Stadium to greet the Blues squad ahead of the game against Chelsea, one that took on poignance for a host of reasons, including Everton’s battle to stay in contention for European qualification.
And they were treated to the best display produced on the banks of the Mersey to date as goals from Beto and Iliman Ndiaye sealed an emphatic 3-0 win.
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After the game, a delighted Moyes said: “I thought it was our best performance from the first minute really right on. I thought we did a really good job. Chelsea were coming here, probably hurting a little bit from their recent results, but we were able to nullify it at different times. They've got so much quality on their side as well, it was always going to be a difficult game to deal with [given] the level of players they had.”
Despite the riches spent on the visiting side, Everton overwhelmed Liam Rosenior’s team and deserved the lead given to them by Beto after 30 minutes. Jordan Pickford made two superb saves from Enzo Fernandez but the contest was ended when Beto added a second on the hour mark, before Ndiaye added gloss to an incredible night for the Blues.
Asked what impressed him most, Moyes cast his thoughts towards his players and the stands. He said: “I think the intensity from the start really, the way we went about the game, I thought we played really well at times. I thought we played some really good football. Generally as well, just the way the players conducted themselves, I think they realised the importance of the game and the importance of us trying to win a couple of big games in the remaining fixtures before the end of the season. Tonight was a big game.
“The crowd made it feel like a big game. It was a brilliant atmosphere inside the stadium. It was more like Goodison than we've probably had in any other game. I don't know if the 5.30pm kick-off helped that instead of the 8pm on a Monday night, but obviously it was a really, really good night and a big thank you to the support for the part they played, it helped us.”
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior had claimed his side had good moments and spells in which they controlled the game. When that was put to Moyes he conceded the visitors had their moments but added: “Our goalkeeper made a couple of wonderful saves at 1-0, which could have changed the game. I think it would be hard to say that we didn't deserve to win that game tonight if you were trying to allude to that at all, which I don't think you were - as you would be off your head if you were.”