Leighton Baines praised Everton’s players for their response on a “difficult” day after he and Seamus Coleman oversaw the 2-0 FA Cup win against Peterborough following Sean Dyche’s sacking a few hours earlier. With just over three hours to go until kick-off in the third-round tie at Goodison Park, the Toffees announced boss Dyche had been dismissed and that their former full-back Baines, who has been in charge of their under-18s, and club captain Coleman would step in on an interim basis.
The club’s new owners the Friedkin Group look set to bring back David Moyes, Everton’s manager from 2002 to 2013, as Dyche’s successor. Starting with an XI Dyche had picked, the team defeated League One Peterborough with Beto scoring in the 42nd minute and Iliman Ndiaye adding a stoppage-time penalty, and Baines said: “I thought their application was brilliant.
“I thought they understood that – we spoke to them before the game – losing managers and coaches isn’t what anyone wants, that normally means something hasn’t gone quite right, and that’s never on one person, it’s on a lot of people that are involved in it.
“The players knew they had to try to show something in terms of a response to it, and they did. They tried to play with energy and do the right things, and they played against a team that likes to play a lot of football as well. It was a nice challenge.”.
