DISAPPOINTED David Moyes bemoaned the “poor” defending that consigned Everton to a second successive Europa League defeat.

Second-half goals from Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo earned Benfica a 2-0 win at Goodison last night in their Group I clash.

The result earned the Portuguese outfit a double over Moyes’s side after the 5-0 thrashing in Lisbon a fortnight ago, and extended Everton’s run to seven games without a win.

But while Benfica were rampant two weeks ago, the Everton manager believes his team architects of their own downfall this time.

“We became a little open in the second half because we were trying to score,” said Moyes. “We got done on the counter-attack for the first goal a little bit, it was a quick break but we still had four defenders in there.

“The goals weren’t like the goals we conceded in Benfica. For example, one ricocheted off one of their players and falls for them. I don’t think the goals were beautiful goals, I thought they were poor defensive ones for us.

“We have tough games coming up. We never thought the group would be easy. And it’s going to prove that way.”

With AEK Athens and BATE Borisov drawing 2-2 in the night’s other Group I fixture, Everton remain in second place and on course for qualification to the last 32.

Indeed, Moyes’s side need just four points from their final two games – away at AEK on December 5 and at home to BATE a fortnight earlier – to progress.

But the Goodison manager was unhappy with his team’s attacking threat against a Benfica team that has become the first in Europe to win at both Everton and Liverpool.