David Moyes hailed Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens as the ‘best player on the pitch’ in Everton’s narrow defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Benjamin Sesko’s second-half goal was enough to earn United a 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night and continue the Red Devils’ brilliant form under caretaker boss Michael Carrick.
The victory not only extended United’s unbeaten record under Carrick but sent Manchester United clear into fourth-place in the Premier League.
Moyes felt his Everton side ‘lacked quality’ in the final third but was keen to single out United shot-stopper Lammens for praise, describing his performance as ‘bloody brilliant’.
Lammens, 23, has proved to be a reliable presence in the Manchester United goal since his £18m move from Royal Antwerp last summer.
‘I’m not happy with the scoreline, that’s for sure,’ Moyes said after Everton’s second successive defeat. ‘You have to win games if you are going to keep moving on.
‘We’ve not been doing that as much as we’d like, especially here [at home]. We’ve lost narrowly to United, we beat them narrowly at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
‘I thought we did well in lots of bits, we get done on the counter and they get the one goal. We put in effort to score but lacked quality to get the goal.
‘We weren’t organised well enough off the ball. I have to praise them [United] for their quick attack. We knew that would be the case, they’ve been doing that really well.
‘They have forward players who have the ability to run away fast and make chances. Most of the game we controlled it pretty well but in that one moment we switched off and it gave them that opportunity.
‘Their goalkeeper [Senne Lammens] did a great job, made an amazing save from Michael Keane, looked as if he could take every corner kick. I thought there was a goal in there for us but we couldn’t quite do it.
‘The goalie was bloody brilliant for them tonight. The save he made from Michael Keane, the corner kicks.
‘The pressure we had. You can look another way and say we should have tried something else. For me their goalkeeper was the best player tonight.’
Lammens faced the media after keeping a clean sheet against Everton, telling Sky Sports: ‘If you work together, if you defend well, if you don’t give goals away, then we have players up top who can make the difference.
‘One flash, one counter, and then you can score. And if you keep the zero, then you can win away in this hard game. So, I’m really happy today.
‘I think since the manager’s [come] in as well, we’ve been defending really well together, actually all season almost.
‘So, we knew if me personally and the defence give us a chance, keep the zero, now we always have a chance to win, and that was the case today.
‘Like I said, it wasn’t the prettiest one, but if you work that hard for it, sometimes it’s the best one.’
Reflecting on his impressive debut season at Manchester United, Lammens added: ‘I just try to stay calm, play my own game. I know I have the qualities, I wouldn’t be here otherwise.
‘So, I just believe in myself, the players around me and my teammates support me really much.
‘Now I just keep on building, keep getting that confidence. Like today, getting those wins, feeling important, is really important.’
Manchester United continue their quest for Champions League football against Crystal Palace next weekend, while ninth-placed Everton visit Newcastle United.