‘SOME BRAWLS GIVE MOMENTUM’

BY GOAL-HERO Seamus Coleman hailed Everton’s fighting spirit after hauling his side out of the bottom three.

The veteran Irish defender scored a spectacular second-half winner to leave Goodison Park rocking and hand boss Sean Dyche a second crucial victory in his three games in charge.

And Coleman pinpointed an ugly firsthalf brawl between both sets of players as evidence Everton are scrapping for their Premier League lives.

“It can go either way, you can gain momentum or lose momentum in those moments,” said the Toffees captain. “But we want to show we are all together and all fighting, and we have to give our fans something to support – and when we do, you saw how they were at the end there.”

On whether his goal was deliberate, or a miscued cross, Coleman said: “I suppose everyone was expecting the cross.

“But the way my hip was feeling I couldn’t wrap my leg around it so I just thought I’d have a shot because I knew he’d be anticipating the cross.

“Thankfully I caught it well, I wouldn’t catch it like that again if I tried another 10 times. But we got what we deserved to be honest.”

Dyche was delighted at a crucial victory, with relegation-rivals Southampton and Bournemouth both winning away yesterday.

And he vowed to help turn Goodison Park into a fortress.

“We want to make this a tough place to come and we are doing that with two wins and two clean sheets since I came,” Dyche said.

Leeds caretaker Michael Skubala (above) was happy with the effort of his stars, and refused to blame keeper Illan Meslier for allowing Coleman’s winner.

“llan has been caught off his line but he’s been a huge player for us,” he said. “We needed to be better with the ball.”