Moyes hoping Toffees have finally come unstuck

Everton 1 Middlesbrough 0

The Goodison Park boss witnessed their 1-0 home win over Middlesbrough, which took them out of the bottom three after a run of three games undefeated in the top flight.

Then he said: “Hopefully we have reached a turning point, we look to be back to doing the things we are good at.”

James Beattie scored his third goal of the season, and his first from open play, in the 16th minute.

Moyes added: “The win was important, and also that James scored his goal from open play. And I felt we had that sharpness back and maybe at the end we deserved the second goal.

“It was a 1-0 win, and we used to do that a lot last season. But this term it has been us who has been losing games by one goal.

“We have been trying to get a run going and in the short term we have done quite well. But now the signs are good, and we need to make this a long-term thing.

“This is a turn around. Just getting those good results at home this season has been tough for us. In my time at Goodison Park we have always got decent home results, so we must get ourselves back to that level.”

Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren saw his side’s three-match unbeaten run ended, but said: “We conceded a goal from a corner and never looked like conceding another one.

“But for all our possession and good play, domination of the game, we could not produce in the final third of the pitch.

“We didn’t have the cutting edge, maybe that ruthlessness and that final bit of quality and service for the strikers, which was disappointing.

“We were not quick enough, too elaborate in our build-up and that allowed them to get players back to defend.

“We dominated possession, moved the ball around well, but the urgency was not there. It was a disappointing result after a good spell of wins.

“I told the players that we had let ourselves down because this was an opportunity to get another win against a side below us in the table.”

Opta Fact: James Beattie has scored more Premiership goals against Middlesbrough than any other opposition - seven goals in 12 games.

Opta Fact: Boro haven’t kept a Premiership clean sheet in their last nine league outings.

EVERTON: Martyn, Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Neville, Arteta, Davies (Kilbane 56), Cahill, Van der Meyde (McFadden 69), Beattie, Ferguson (Bent 76).

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Riggott, Ehiogu (Doriva 81), Queudrue, Parnaby, Mendieta, Boateng, Rochemback (Morrison 76), Pogatetz, Hasselbaink, Yakubu (Viduka 54).

Referee: M Riley (W Yorkshire).