David Moyes has hailed the impact of his substitutes after a late equaliser from Jake O’Brien secured a 1-1 draw against West Ham United, stretching the Toffees’ unbeaten Premier League run to nine matches.
O’Brien’s powerful header in stoppage time cancelled out Tomáš Souček’s 67th-minute strike at Goodison Park on Saturday, ensuring Everton claimed a point. Moyes turned to his bench to shift the momentum, introducing Youssef Chermiti for his first senior appearance of the season, Armando Broja for his first outing since early January, and Tim Iroegbunam, who impressed again after a lengthy spell sidelined by a foot injury.
Charly Alcaraz was restored to the starting line-up, with Jesper Lindstrøm dropping to the bench before entering the fray in the second half. Speaking to evertontv, Moyes underlined the importance of his squad depth: “You can see what happens if you have people you can bring off the bench and help you get results. The subs helped us get a result today.”
Reflecting on Everton’s nine-game unbeaten streak, Moyes added, “Don’t be kidded – nine unbeaten [in the Premier League] is good. Obviously, we’d rather win the games and we’re trying to win the games, but we’re short in quality, at times, and we’re trying to improve in what we’re doing – trying to play better, trying to make more chances.”
Despite the resilience shown by his side, Moyes acknowledged room for improvement: “We’re still, one way or the other, short on quality at times and we have to do the best we can with what we have. I have to say, I think the players have done brilliantly. I want them to keep doing what they’re doing.”
Everton remain hampered by injuries, with key attackers Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil (both knee) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (hamstring) currently sidelined. Midfielder Orel Mangala has also been ruled out for the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January’s 1-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Addressing the potential return of his injured stars, Moyes said, “I don’t think we’re necessarily going to have any of them back after the [international] break, but we’ve got three boys there – Dwight, Ili, and Dom – who we could all do with seeing back if we could.”
