Moyes lauds Osman

16 April 2011 20:00
Everton manager David Moyes felt his side owed much to the all-action performance of Leon Osman after they secured a 2-0 victory over Blackburn. After a goalless opening period, the Toffees upped the tempo after the interval to claim the lead after 54 minutes with a deflected Osman shot. The goal was Everton's reward for a spell of dominance and the Merseysiders made the game safe when Leighton Baines drilled in a penalty after a foul on Seamus Coleman by Phil Jones. "In Leon Osman we had someone who was a match-winner by a long way," said Moyes. "He deserves to be `bigged up', if you want to say that. "He has had to take on the mantle since we lost Steven Pienaar and with Mikel Arteta out. We have not got a great deal of creativity or that style of player at the moment. "I thought Osman, when he got it, made things happen and scored a really important goal for us. That got us on our way."

Source: PA