Osman ´the man´ for Moyes

Everton manager David Moyes has praised Leon Osman after the midfielder’s goal clinched the points for Everton against Swansea City.

Osman scored the only goal of the English Premier League match with his second-half header – the second consecutive game he has been the lone scorer for Everton, after scoring in their 1-1 draw against Norwich City on Saturday.

“I think the last few games Leon Osman has come back to the sort of form we know,” Moyes told Everton’s club website.

“He got us a goal on Saturday and again today. He’s has been a really important member of the squad and sometimes goes unnoticed but I think tonight he was our best player.”

“We needed to find a goal from somewhere and Ossie was the man.”

Moyes also praised midfielder Royston Drenthe for setting up Osman’s goal, after he did the same against Norwich.

“I thought Roy did quite well tonight,” Moyes said. “He helped us and did a good job.”

Moyes also had kind words for Swansea’s enterprise: “Swansea are a good team. They pass the ball well and have not conceded many goals this season so we knew it was going to be tough,” he said.

“We played well and I was pleased with the players’ performances. I thought we controlled most of the game.”

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers was understandably disappointed with the results.

“Obviously we are disappointed with the scoreline,” Rodgers told Swansea’s website. “There were very few chances in the game for either side, but I thought we were deserving of a point.”

“We are disappointed with the goal we’ve conceded because we have been defending well of late, so it’s a poor goal to lose from our point of view.”

“The players have been brilliant. It’s always difficult to come away from home but we had four shots on target, which is about average for the Premier League, and obviously we had a great chance with Danny (Graham) to maybe equalise.”

Kemy Agustien came on for Mark Gower for the second game in a row at half-time, a move Rodgers explained as purely tactical.

“Mark has been brilliant for me. He’s very fit and strong, but I thought tonight that if we didn’t have control in the midfield, then we needed strength and I thought Kemy came on and did well,” he said.

“In the last two games we haven’t controlled the midfield. As the game progresses then spaces start to open up and that’s when we start to have some control.”