Monday, 10th November, 2014
Everton manager Roberto Martinez was pleased with the character shown by his side during their 1-1 draw with Sunderland yesterday.
After a goalless first half at the Stadium of Light, the home team broke the deadlock in the 67th minute, courtesy of Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick.
But just nine minutes later Everton were awarded a penalty after Connor Wickham hauled down Seamus Coleman inside the box.
Toffees skipper Leighton Baines calmly slotted home the resultant spot-kick to restore parity for his side.
And Martinez, who admitted that he was disappointed with Everton not coming out with the full three points against the Black Cats, was however pleased with the manner in which his side responded after falling behind.
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“I am disappointed to have dropped two points but pleased with the way we reacted once we went 1-0 down”, the Spaniard told the club’s official site.
“I thought we started really well. We had a real intent and we controlled the game with ease for long spells.
“But we didn’t use that control to create clear cut opportunities. Sometimes the final ball wasn’t there, or it was the wrong run, and it didn’t allow us to score the first goal that I felt we needed today.
“We played a well-organised Sunderland side and that first goal was going to be decisive. Once they get it, I was extremely pleased with the reaction we had.
“The character we showed, the understanding, the know-how was great. We didn’t panic and we ended up having a full-back in the box earning the penalty.”
After the stalemate in Wearside, Sunderland moved up to 14th place in the Premier League table with 12 points from 11 fixtures, four places and two points adrift of Everton.
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