David Moyes praised Everton’s resilient response to a troubled week after his side twice came from behind to salvage a point against Manchester United through Ainsley Maitland-Niles’s long-range strike.
The deadline-day signing, who was introduced in the 77th minute after James Garner pulled up with cramp, preserved Everton’s unbeaten start to the season with a 25-yard effort in the 96th minute.
Tyrique George also scored a superb equaliser to lift the mood at Hill Dickinson Stadium after transfer deadline day had left Moyes with a weaker squad and only one striker in Thierno Barry.
The Everton manager insisted it had been easy to keep the negativity away from his players. “It was the exact opposite,” he said of the potential negative impact on his squad.
“I said to the players there would be no excuses from any of us and the players all agreed. The players hugely bought into it. It can hurt you being a player down but it can also have the opposite reaction.
“Sometimes when you have less players it means everybody has to be ready and you have to find a way of making it work. Who knows how it will go? It will be difficult when we have three games a week.”
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Moyes also paid tribute to the quality of the goals from Maitland-Niles and George, who cancelled out finishes from Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko respectively.
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“If nobody knew you that goal would get you plenty of headlines,” he said of Maitland-Niles, a £4.3m deadline-day signing from Lyon. “It was a brilliant goal, brilliant technique. We have not had a chance to get to know Ainsley but it was a great start from him.”