Moyes praises 'technician' Heitinga's bolt from the blue
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Everton manager David Moyes insists he was not surprised by John Heitinga's equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham on Wednesday night, even though the Netherlands international had not scored for Everton before.
Heitinga opened his account in spectacular fashion, firing an effort from the edge of the box into the roof of the net 10 minutes before the interval at Goodison Park to cancel out Jean Beausejour's 17th-minute header for the visitors.
The sight of the 27-year-old, who joined Everton from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2009, demonstrating such striking prowess was somewhat unexpected, although Moyes said yesterday it was something he knew Heitinga was capable of.
"He has got great technique," Moyes said. "It doesn't take me by surprise because he is a really good striker of the ball. He is very good with both feet. He plays centre-half most of the time, but he is a really good technician and he showed that with his finish."
Everton suffered an early setback when Mikel Arteta had to be substituted within the first 10 minutes nursing an apparent hamstring injury, robbing Moyes' side of a key playmaker. Although they dominated possession for most of the contest, they were generally unable to make the most of it and in the end Heitinga's leveller was the only time they showed a clinical touch in front of goal.
"I think we had quite a few opportunities but we weren't pulling the trigger," Moyes said. "I thought [Birmingham goalkeeper] Ben Foster made some good saves as well."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments