United is perfect trip for Moyes

Everton boss David Moyes admits it will take the club some time to get over the agony of last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool — but has vowed the Toffees will be giving their all to finish the season strongly.

Moyes’ side suffered heartache at Wembley last Saturday as their city rivals came from behind to beat them 2-1.

The Scot is not about to play down the impact of that blow, but has stressed that he and his players are fully focused on the remainder of their Premier League campaign.

The next of the five games they have left is tomorrow’s at Manchester United, a fixture that hardly looks ideal given the table-toppers have won nine of their last 10 league matches and Everton have not taken a point at Old Trafford since 2005.

The Merseysiders’ own league form has been good though, showing only two losses in 13 games.

And Moyes feels that with the pressure off the Toffees this weekend, the contest could actually prove ideal as his team — currently seventh, a point ahead of Liverpool — look to bounce back after their Wembley experience.

“We are obviously really disappointed from the game and it is going to take us a wee while to get over it,” Moyes said.

“It is not the sort of thing you can just shrug off. It was the semi-final of the cup and I think anyone losing a semi-final finds it hard, but when you lose to your neighbours that makes it even worse.

“So from our point of view, it will take a while, but we have a really good, tough game now and strangely enough, it is one I think I’d prefer to have than not have.

“I actually think after the game we’ve just had, this is as good as you can get, because we can go there with a little bit of freedom.

“We are not kidding ourselves — it will be a tough game, as it is for every team that goes there.

“But we’ll give it a go and try to show the form we have been in, in the main, over the past few months.”