The headlines may be all about the excellent work David Moyes has done on his return to Everton in bringing about a swift reversal in the Club’s fortunes on the pitch in just a few short weeks but the manager has been quick to credit his players for the turnaround.

The Blues were a point above the relegation zone and on a run of just one win in 11 Premier League games before the Scot succeeded his struggling predecessor, Sean Dyche, but after suffering defeat in his first match back at the helm — a game that came just a few days after he was confirmed as boss — Moyes has overseen a seven-match unbeaten run.

Four league wins from the next five games and now two successive draws against Manchester United and Brentford, both games that Everton will feel they should have won, have left the Toffees sitting 15 points above the bottom three and effectively safe heading into a new era at Bramley-Moore Dock next season.

Everton recovered from the disappointment of missing two golden chances to take the lead late in the first half and them conceding a sloppy goal in stoppage time before the interval to battle back and earn a 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.

“The one thing that the players have got is a it of resilience and they’re tough enough to keep at it,” Moyes told BBC Sport after the game against Brentford.

“We were disappointed at halftime because of the goal — we thought it was a really scrappy goal. When you come here you’re always aware of the long throws and their set-pieces; they’ve always been very good at it.

“So for us to lose that right on halftime was really disappointing, but Jake popped up with a goal. It was thoroughly deserved at the time in the game and we probably had a great chance to go and win the game as well.

“[The belief] has risen greatly in the time since I’ve been here, but I can only say the players have done a remarkable job, they really have.

“Sometimes the managers get all the praise but I generally think the players deserve the praise for it because they’ve knuckled down, got on with the job, [and] pulled themselves up because, let’s be fair, we weren’t in a great position a month or so. But we’re getting a bit closer to a position which might keep us as a Premier League team.”

Moyes will now take his players on a warm-weather team-bonding trip to Abu Dhabi, to take advantage of the fact that Everton aren’t in action again until the evening kick-off on Saturday 8th March, away at Wolves.

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