Cahill fires Everton within point of Chelsea

Portsmouth 0 Everton 1

Australian Tim Cahill scored the only goal of the 1-0 win at Portsmouth with a header 10 mintues from time.

Moyes said: "It is a good start to the season. Now we are looking for a good middle and a good end as well."

Cahill's late winner, his second of the campaign, means Everton have taken as many away points this term as in the whole of the last.

And although Cahill admitted he almost celebrated with a repeat of the raised shirt gesture that brought him a red card after he scored the decider against Manchester City two weeks ago, boss Moyes said: "I felt like raising my shirt over my head on the touchline when he scored."

"This could be a flash in the pan and might all blow up in a few weeks but we'll see what happens," he said.

"The players are full of confidence and are working very hard.

"They believe in one another and are playing with a lot of heart and spirit."

Everton flirted with relegation for a long while last season and there were boardroom ructions in a summer power-struggle that threatened even Moyes' future.

In the end he had to sell star pupil Wayne Rooney to Manchester United but said: "We've always had a team ethic.

"It pays off and and at the moment the points we have are more important than the position we are in. They give you a basis for the rest of the season. It is quite exceptional and full credit goes to the players.

"Football does this sometimes. It is not always predictable. I'm delighted with the way we've started and long may it continue."

Disappointed Pompey boss Harry Redknapp saw his team surrender their 10-match home unbeaten record in the Premiership and said: "I thought it was petering out into a draw and would have taken that.

"We've played better but our strikers didn't get going today. Yakubu was below par and we were always susceptible to a set-piece.

"Everton were strong and came with a plan. They've done well but we will have to bounce back.

"We are not Arsenal or anyone like that. We need to bounce back and don't expect to win every game."

PORTSMOUTH: Hislop, Primus, Griffin, Stefanovic, Unsworth, Faye, Berkovic (LuaLua 45), Quashie, Berger, Yakubu, Fuller (Kamara 68).

EVERTON: Martyn, Hibbert, Stubbs (Yobo 45), Weir, Pistone, Watson (Ferguson 56), Carsley, Cahill, Gravesen, Kilbane, Bent.

Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).