Beckford’s sweet strike saves Toffees

EVERTON boss David Moyes hailed a “fantastic” finish by Jermaine Beckford but labelled Marouane Fellaini “stupid” after his side snatched a point against Bolton last night.

Beckford struck his first Barclays Premier League goal deep into injury time as 10-man Everton grabbed a 1-1 draw in a dramatic late finish at Goodison Park.

Ivan Klasnic had given Bolton the lead after 79 minutes and Everton’s night had looked like ending in misery when Fellaini was sent off for kicking out at Paul Robinson four minutes from time.

Moyes has shown great patience with Beckford, who has struggled with the step up from League One since his summer move from Leeds, but concedes he expected too much too soon.

Moyes said: “Anyone who has watched Leeds United over the last few seasons will tell you he can score an array of goals.

“It was a fantastic finish, it really was. We needed something, it was probably the last 10 or 15 seconds of the game.

“I think that is what Jermaine has got but there is a lot he will have to learn in being a Premier League player.

“I put him in a bit earlier than I should have done.

“My idea was always to bring him off the bench in games where we needed a goal.

“I shouldn’t have started him so early, that was a mistake of mine, but it was a good goal. The one thing we can’t teach him is the one thing he came with, the ability to score goals.”

Moyes had no issue with the red card shown to Fellaini, who reacted petulantly after a heavy challenge from Robinson.

“It was correct,” Moyes said.

“I thought it was a foul on Fellaini, the tackle by Robinson, which I thought might have been a booking.

“But I’ve no complaints, it was retaliation. He shouldn’t do it, he was stupid.”

Everton squandered a number of chances throughout the game to take the lead, with the otherwise vibrant Louis Saha spurning several on his first start since August.

Yet while the Toffees were disappointed not to take three points, the result at least extended their unbeaten run to seven games.

Moyes said: “If we hadn’t got a point, we’d have come away saying it wasn’t right.”

Bolton boss Owen Coyle said: “I am disappointed because we were in a great position to win but that is the only disappointment. I felt my group of players were terrific. Every one of them had to stand up to be counted.”

EVERTON: Howard, Neville (Yakubu 81), Distin, Jagielka, Baines, Bilyaletdinov (Coleman 66), Fellaini, Cahill, Arteta, Pienaar, Saha (Beckford 81).

BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson (Ricketts 59), Knight, Cahill, Robinson, Lee, Muamba, Holden, Taylor, Kevin Davies, Elmander (Klasnic 61).

Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).