Johnson the final piece of the jigsaw

Everton striker Andrew Johnson was described as the “final piece in the jigsaw” after his two goals helped demolish Liverpool 3-0 at Goodison Park.

The former Crystal Palace hitman, signed by David Moyes for £8.6m, ended Liverpool‘s 17-match unbeaten run.

Midfielder Tim Cahill paid tribute to the England man, claiming on Prem Plus: “Beatts [James Beattie] and Faddy [James McFadden] have been waiting for a striker to partner them and he can be the final piece in the jigsaw.

“AJ is an unbelievable striker and is going to get goals. He fought hard and showed character and now he knows what it means to be a blue.”

Johnson said: “It was amazing. The fans were brilliant, the boys were looking forward to it all week. It was a great three points.

“This was a massive occasion but we have to keep our feet on the ground. There are some tough games ahead.”

A delighted Moyes said: “We have not won many in the past against Liverpool, who have a terrific team but give credit to the players. They have done this in pre-season we wanted to make that happen.

“In the end, though, it‘s only three points. We‘ve had some bad games against Liverpool but hopefully we have made improvements.”

Asked about Johnson‘s contribution, the Scot added: “We always said he would score goals but for his second he said ‘I‘m going to gamble here‘. We are pleased to have him.”

Everton are top – at least until later today – but Moyes is not getting carried away.

“Everton top sounds great – I‘ve been longing to hear that. But we have 10 points early in the season. Once we get 40 points we will look at the next target.”