DELIGHTED David Moyes believes "the blood is pumping through our veins again" after defiant Everton secured progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

A sixth-minute strike from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov was enough to earn Moyes’s men a 1-0 win over AEK Athens in atrocious conditions in Greece last night.

With Benfica beating BATE Borisov 2-1 in Minsk in Group I’s other fixture, it means Everon have qualified to the last 32 alongside the Portuguese with a game to spare.

Victory came at a cost, however, with both Dan Gosling and Syvlain Distin adding to Moyes’s injury woes by being forced off inside the opening 20 minutes with hamstring problems that will be assessed when Everton arrive on Merseyside later today.

But having seen his team earn only a second win in 12 games, the Goodison manager is hopeful they have turned a corner in their season.

"Our performance against Liverpool deserved more than we got, but tonight was a case of needs must and I think the spirit of Everton was apparent among both the younger and more experienced players," said Moyes.

"They all worked so hard to get the result, it shows there is a heartbeat at the football club and hopefully we can kick on from here and improve. I think the blood is pumping through our veins again. The players now know what it takes to start getting results again."

With young right-back Seamus Coleman making only his second appearance, Distin’s injury handed a senior debut to 17-year-old centre-back Shane Duffy, shorly after Jose Baxter, also 17, had replaced the stricken Gosling.

Brazilian striker Jo also hobbled off during the second half, but Moyes said: "I don’t think Jo’s injury is serious. I am concerned about Sylvain and Dan as both are both hamstring strains. We will have them assessed tomorrow.

"I think the conditions did play a part. It was an energy-sapping pitch.

"That said, I think the main reason for the injuries is down to overloading them. Sylvain has had to play just about every minute of every game."

Despite the disruptions to their defence, Everton kept a first clean sheet in 13 games.

And Moyes added: "I was pleased, especially with the outcome of the game. The early goal helped us. The young players who came in did really well and I’m delighted with them.

"It’s very important to have qualified with a game to spare as it gives us a week where we don’t need to be too intense with the squad.