David Moyes: Devilment was the key to Euro victory

Feb 14 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

DAVID MOYES praised the “devilment” in Everton’s play that saw off SK Brann and set a new club record last night.

A magnificent 59th-minute volley from Leon Osman and a strike from substitute Victor Anichebe two minutes from time earned the Goodison Park outfit a 2-0 win in the first leg of their UEFA Cup round of 32 tie.

Everton are now firm favourites to finish the job in the return leg next Thursday and set up a clash with either Rosenborg or Fiorentina.

The triumph was Everton’s sixth successive win in the competition – their best sequence of results in Europe – with Moyes’s men having won all four of their away games so far in this UEFA Cup campaign.

And a delighted Moyes said: “We couldn’t have asked for a better result, and was one we had to fight really hard for.

“If you’d said before the game that we’d win 2-0 I’d have been more than happy to take it.

“I didn’t think we played well in the first half. I thought we were happy to keep the ball and go nowhere.

“I had to say to them at half-time that there is a set of goals at the far end where you are supposed to score in. We had a bit of devilment in the second half.”

Despite his team’s strong position, Moyes has warned against complacency ahead of next week’s second leg.

“I’ll not talk about progressing until the job is done,” he said. “Given our record in the cup competitions, I wouldn’t do that.

“But I’m really pleased with how we are playing, we have momentum. We won this without Steven Pienaar, Mikel Arteta and Thomas Gravesen, players who are suited to European nights and I’m looking forward to have them back, maybe for the second leg.

“There’s no chance of us resting anyone for the second leg. We’ll play anyone that’s available and nobody will be getting rested.”

Osman’s goal – his sixth of the campaign – was reward for Everton’s second-half improvement before Anichebe’s fourth goal in the UEFA Cup eased any late nerves from Moyes’s men.

“Leon’s was a great strike given the way it dropped,” said the Scot. “The pitch was difficult and it was hard to kick the ball along the surface, so it sat up for Leon and allowed him to volley it and generate more power in it.

“We’ve got the two young boys we can call on. Victor is very good when he comes on in European games. It was a terrific ball from Joleon Lescott to get the goal.”

Of the game, Moyes added: “I thought we passed it okay in the first half but maybe the players were trying to score the perfect goal.

“We didn’t play quick enough throughout the game, but it got quicker in the second half than it had in the first.

“We hit the post from a fantastic save from the goalkeeper but we got the goals in the end.

“I thought we kept Brann at bay most of the night, but we will give them a lot of respect in the second leg.

“Brann were very strong. The crowd were good, they made it a big night and a big atmosphere for their team.

“Brann were a threat at set-pieces and there were moments when they scared us so we had to defend well and I thought we defended well tonight.”

Last night saw the return to the starting line-up of Yakubu, after the striker had been dropped from the squad against Reading at the weekend as punishment for going AWOL after the Africa Cup of Nations last week.

“It was good to score twice and I thought Yak coming back made a great difference in holding the ball up and bringing people into the game,” said Moyes.