Sam Allardyce hails "big win" for Everton

Everton manager Sam Allardyce has heaped praise on his side after they claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Goodison Park today.

An own goal from Gaetan Bong and a powerful strike from Cenk Tosun helped the Toffees to move 10 points clear of the relegation zone, ending a run of back-to-back league defeats.

Both of those games came away from home, with the Toffees ranking as the third worst side in the division on the road.

"Usually when you lose two games and in the way that we've lost them, you have to find a response from the players," Allardyce told Match of the Day after the game.

"At Goodison, I don't think there's been a problem. Our big problem has been away from home. If you reverse it (home and away form) and look with the home points we've gained we're riding high in the top six.

"The players had to handle the pressure today, our form away, that's been a long standing problem and it was a big win under those circumstances. The players accepted the pressure and delivered a performance.

"You have to give credit to Wayne Rooney today, playing in a position he doesn't play in normally. We had a very attacking three in midfield and we asked Wayne to be responsible enough to be the playmaker and sit deep."

Next up for Allardyce's side is a trip to relegation-threatened Stoke City next Saturday.