Jeff Stelling loved one thing he saw about Everton vs Man United despite what David Moyes knows in his heart
Everton showed their resilience in a hard-fought draw against Manchester United on Sunday.
The Toffees twice fell behind at Hill Dickinson Stadium thanks to goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
However, Tyrique George's first Everton goal and a stunner from Ainsley Maitland-Niles on his first appearance earned a 2-2 draw on home turf.
It was a much-needed statement of defiance given the ill-feeling around the fanbase following a dismal end to the transfer window.
Everton find themselves in a position where they have just one senior striker and no back-up at full-backs, with the Friedkin Group ownership coming under fire as a result.
Jeff Stelling was talking about Everton on talkSPORT's breakfast show, and spoke about what he admired after what he saw in the Man United game.
What did Jeff Stelling admire about Everton's performance vs Man United?
Manager David Moyes has been typically stoic despite the madness of the final days of the transfer window.
Somehow, Moyes has been left in a weaker position at the end of the window than he started it.
But the Scot has rallied the troops, speaking about some of the benefits of having a smaller squad, including the fact players will not get disillusioned.
Stelling thinks in his heart of hearts that Moyes knows he wants a bigger squad, but loved the resilience Everton showed despite the chaos of the past few days.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "It's really interesting afterwards. I get why he (Moyes) said, almost a siege mentality, saying look, smaller squads can have benefits.
"The players there, everyone is going to get called upon, they all know they're going to get plenty of action. There's not going to be a case of dissatisfied players left out of the squad because we are so limited.
"But in his heart of hearts, he knows that they're short of players. But hey, you know, brilliant attitude, they have got a fantastic attitude.
"It was best shown by James Tarkowski who did his usual thing and Jarrod Branthwaite was absolutely fantastic.
"I'm surprised he (Hayden Hackney) didn't start I really was. When Hackney and Jack Grealish came on they made a difference."
David Moyes will never back down at Everton
Moyes has his detractors among the Everton fanbase, but no one can ever doubt his commitment to the cause.
And right now, Moyes is exactly the sort of figurehead you want leading the team given all the external noise around the place.
There is absolutely no way Moyes would ever allow anything on the outside to detract from what is happening on the pitch.
That was evident against Michael Carrick's side, as Everton refused to back down and twice showed the heart to fight back.
Their backs might be against the wall, but do not be fooled, Moyes and his team will never back down from the fight.