Everton edges past Ipswich as Moyes demands consistency
Everton squeezed out a 1-0 win over Ipswich, but David Moyes walked away talking as much about refereeing calls as he did about three points.
“It’s hard to assess,” the Everton manager told BBC Sport. “We had good moments and not-so-good moments. We had good chances which we didn’t take but Ipswich have done well and it was never going to be easy. Really pleased to get the three points.”
Everton played against 10 men yet never killed the contest off. That nagged at Moyes.
“It’s always a relief when you win but also when you’re playing against 10 men it puts you under a bit more pressure,” he said. “If we get the second goal it changes the game but Ipswich clung on and it allowed them to put us under pressure late in the game.”
The flashpoint came with Everton’s disallowed goal. The decision left Moyes pushing for clarity rather than raging at the officials.
“It’s tough for the referees to get the calls right, we would love consistency,” he said. “I don’t know if he [Brennan Johnson] impeded the goalkeeper. Was he offside? Absolutely. Could the goalkeeper have saved the header? No he couldn’t.”
Thierno Barry’s decisive strike brought its own question: did he really mean it? Moyes wasn’t biting.
“I’ve not seen it again so I can’t tell you [if he meant it]. Strikers will take goals any way they come. It will be good for him, he wants to play well and score goals.”
Behind the individual moments, Moyes pointed to the collective. A small group, but a tight one.
“We have a tight-knit group, we wanted it to be that way and we will use it to our advantage,” he said. “It is difficult when everyone wants you to have a cup run and do well in the league. We’ve had a pretty good week so well done to all the players.”
Three points banked. Questions about consistency parked for another day. But they will come back.
Jaissle hails “incredible reaction” as Newcastle dig deep to beat Hull
Newcastle needed a response after Leeds. Matthias Jaissle got exactly that in a 2-1 win over Hull – and then some.
“We showed an incredible reaction after the defeat at Leeds,” the Newcastle manager told BBC Match of the Day. “The first half was excellent, we could have killed the game with a third goal for sure. We were totally dominant and then in the second half you saw the legs were getting tired towards the end – but we were also missing nine players today.”
Newcastle flew out of the blocks, then had to hang on. That contrast defined the night.
“I am really proud and I want to show them respect for what they did at the end of the game when it was tough,” Jaissle said. “To defend their own box, everyone was committed and really fighting for the three points. This is something we can count on.”
The early surge was no accident. It was about pride after Leeds.
“As I said, we wanted to show the right reaction after Leeds and this is something we are very proud of – and we could deliver when it is needed,” he continued. “We wanted to also show a clear reaction in front of ours. Overall, when you see the 90 minutes, it was a deserved win.”
Jaissle is still new to the job, still feeling the weight of what he calls a “huge transition” at the club. The injury list only sharpens that challenge.
“Overall, really satisfied,” he said of his start at Newcastle. “You see a couple of challenges already from the outside, and you also know there is a huge transition at the moment in the club. And in these circumstances, we are really proud of what we have seen so far from the lads, fully committed to the journey. Now it is time to reflect and also hopefully get some players back from injury.”
A patched-up side, a statement reaction, and a manager already demanding more. The journey he talks about is only just starting to take shape.
