Source: Team_Talk
Moyes praise for Blues youngsters
Moyes was already without a host of top stars before losing Leon Osman, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar - the latter through suspension - before what turned out to be a convincing 3-1 victory at Goodison Park.[LNB]The Scot was left with little option but to throw in teenagers Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling, while he recalled striker Victor Anichebe for the first time since his training ground bust-up with the Nigerian.[LNB]Moyes said: "With Villa's resources, I felt we would have a problem with the injuries we had to cope with.[LNB]"But they adapted. Senior men Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Phil Jagielka, they all did so well. It was a very good team performance.[LNB]"Anichebe played very well. He was as good as that against Liverpool a few weeks ago, what he needs to do now is show that consistently.[LNB]"He needs a run of form and he needs to keep himself fit and if he does that we know we have a good player on our hands.[LNB]"He is an exciting young player, just like the other youngsters who played in this tie - Rodwell and Gosling - and he caused Villa real problems and played well."[LNB]Moyes, whose side will face either West Ham or Middlesbrough in the last eight next month, had special praise for goalkeeper Tim Howard.[LNB]He said: "Tim came back from the USA's match with a terrible leg injury and went to bed on Saturday night with a big ice pack on it to bring down the swelling.[LNB]"Frankly, he had no chance of playing at that point. But he wanted to give it a go and made a crucial save that was the turning point.[LNB]"He really dug in for us. We were without Osman, Pienaar, Fellaini out there and if Tim had not made it I felt it would have been one too many senior men out for us.[LNB]"But it just shows you how wrong I was with the way the youngsters and the rest of the side played."[LNB]Rodwell scored in the opening minutes, Arteta rammed home a penalty and Cahill hit the late clincher.[LNB]Villa also scored from the spot through James Milner and were right in the game until Everton's third killed them off.[LNB]Moyes is refusing to start dreaming of Wembley, but he is grateful to be again playing at Goodison Park.[LNB]He said: "We won't be getting carried away. You won't get me making any wild claims, but the best you can ask for is a home ties in the last eight.[LNB]"But the team has been very good, very strong. They want to beat whatever is put in front of them. They should be excited, they are enjoying their game.[LNB]"They believe that when we get I get (Louis) Saha, Fellaini, Osman and Pienaar all back, we will have a chance of achieving more."[LNB]Villa boss Martin O'Neill maintained that the injury to striker Emile Heskey was a genuine handicap.[LNB]He said: "Gareth Barry being suspended was out fault, our problem. Being without Heskey is not our fault.[LNB]"He should not have played on Wednesday for England because he had an existing Achilles injury and made it worse.[LNB]"He had come off against Blackburn with the same injury, and he arrived with England with the injury. Of course Heskey wants to play for England, like every other player.[LNB]"But Luke Young was unable to play with an injured toe. He showed his face at the England camp and was sent home.[LNB]"The same should have happened to Heskey, I would have had a better chance of him playing in the cup tie if that had happened.[LNB]"And now Curtis Davies has a shoulder injury, it came out of place. With some manipulation it was put back and he wanted to continue to play.[LNB]"But I believe it is something that has happened before and we must have a good look at this problem now.[LNB]"I really don't know whether Heskey or Davies will be fit for the UEFA Cup tie on Wednesday against CSKA Moscow."[LNB]Meanwhile O'Neill insists referee Martin Atkinson was right not to send off Stiliyan Petrov for the handball on the line which preceded Rodwell's Everton opener.[LNB]Atkinson played advantage after Petrov had handled Cahill's header.[LNB]"I don't see how Petrov can be sent off as well as giving them a goal," said O'Neill. "The referee played advantage for the shot to be put into the net. If he had not done that it would have been a penalty and a sending-off.[LNB]"I don't know what David Moyes would have preferred. But after just a couple of minutes I would think he would have wanted the penalty and us down to 10 men for over 80 minutes."[LNB]He added: "I felt we should have got something out of that. It was a frenetic start with three quick goals.[LNB]"But from then on we started to gain control of the game and while it was always tough, we were very much in it at 1-2 down.[LNB]"We had several chances in each half and maybe the turning point was (Tim) Howard's great save from (John) Carew. Then the third goal was a killer goal, but we were unlucky."[LNB][LNB]
