Source: Team_Talk
Goodison glee for Hammers boss
Gianfranco Zola could not hide his relief after West Ham emerged from a difficult week with a valuable point from Sunday's 2-2 draw at Everton.[LNB] The Hammers boss cast doubt over his future at Upton Park after his side crashed to a sixth successive Premier League defeat last weekend.[LNB]With the team above the bottom three only on goal difference and Zola apparently at odds with the club's owners, the Hammers were heading towards crisis and a potentially damaging relegation.[LNB]But Zola vowed to fight on and problems were pushed aside as the London club produced a battling display to hold Everton at Goodison Park.[LNB]When asked about the mood in the dressing room after Ilan's late equaliser, Zola said: "It was fantastic. I am going to get drunk tonight!"[LNB]Everton, who had been looking to maintain a late European push with an eighth consecutive win, twice led through Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Ayegbeni Yakubu.[LNB]Manuel da Costa cancelled out the opener after team-mate Mido had missed a penalty and Ilan snatched a point with a stunning header moments after Yakubu looked to have won it with six minutes remaining.[LNB]Zola hailed his side's battling qualities, and said: "We never gave up. We came back in the second half, we equalised and played well.[LNB]"Their second goal could have been a blow for everybody but we reacted and scored an equaliser straight away.[LNB]"We showed we don't give up for anything.[LNB]"Don't forget Everton have beaten all the best teams at this ground - they are a team on top form so what we did today wasn't a simple thing."[LNB]Zola also chose to focus on the players when asked about the speculation over his position and his relationship with owners David Gold and David Sullivan.[LNB]He said: "We don't want to focus on anything other than the football. Other things we cannot stop - people want to give opinions - but we are 100% focused on the field.[LNB]"We have been together. All this season has made us stronger, for sure.[LNB]"It is a difficult situation but, despite all the difficulties, we don't want to stop fighting.[LNB]"That is what we said to each other before the game. We said no matter what, we will fight until the end."[LNB]Zola now expects that spirit to remain over the closing weeks of the campaign.[LNB]He added: "It is a great encouragement for me.[LNB]"I wouldn't say the last five games are going to be a matter of life and death - but very close.[LNB]"We know what football is like but we are not going to hold anything back."[LNB]The major downside for West Ham was a booking for Scott Parker which means he will miss the next two games through suspension.[LNB]Zola said: "Obviously we are going to miss him but I am sure with this spirit, everyone will work harder to make sure his absence is not too big."[LNB]Everton boss David Moyes conceded a draw was probably a fair result.[LNB]The Toffees could have had a penalty in the second half when Da Costa appeared to trip Louis Saha but Moyes admitted his team were lucky not to have earlier been reduced to 10 men.[LNB]Sylvain Distin was shown only a yellow card for fouling Carlton Cole when he was the last man and conceding the penalty Tim Howard saved from Mido.[LNB]Moyes said: "We are disappointed to be 2-1 up and throw it away in the last three or four minutes, but the game was tight.[LNB]"We didn't play well enough to merit more but sometimes when you don't play great you hope to win it, and it looked like we had done that late on.[LNB]"I could say I am hard done by not getting the penalty kick - the decision was a poor one - but I have to also say on another day Sylvain Distin could have been sent off."
