The England defender put the ball past his own goalkeeper to seal Everton's fate during the demoralising 2-0 loss at the Britannia stadium, his second own goal in the last three games.
But Moyes acknowledged that the 28-year-old played through the pain barrier to answer his call for solidity against Stoke's physical presence, and deserves credit for his attitude.
He said: 'He didn't kick a lot of balls with his right foot today because he's got a thigh strain so, he really wanted to come out and play and we have to give him a lot of credit.
'We needed him today because otherwise we would have had to come here with Tony Hibbert at centre-half which against their size would have been really difficult.
'It's one of these things. Defenders are liable to score goals if you're in there and trying to block things and be in the right place.
'Jags did great. He put himself up, he could have probably done with a few more days if not longer to get himself fully fit.'
Moyes was keen to defend his team's display against Tony Pulis' side, which saw the Toffees drop to 13th in the Premier League.
Source: Liverpool_Echo
