Duncan Ferguson told the Everton players to play their own game and enjoy it – before they went out and beat Chelsea. Ferguson took charge of Everton today after the sacking of Marco Silva. And he helped the pick up their first win at home since the middle of October.
And Theo Walcott has lifted the lid on Ferguson’s message to the players before the match.
“Duncan has come in and the club is his heart,” Walcott said on BT Sport.
“That was the Everton way, we play for each other and Dominic was immense. We wanted intensity and pressure and to get in behind them.
“We put them under pressure and made them make mistakes. Duncan said go out and play your game and enjoy it.
“As much as it sounds a cliche, that is what we did.”
JUST IN: Niko Kovac spotted at Goodison Park during Everton game
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice after Richardson’s opener and Matteo Kovacic’s strike for Chelsea.
And the 22-year-old said: “It was a massive game for us and I have a very close relationship with Duncan.
“He has stuck by me for the three years I have known him. The most important thing was to go out and give 100%.”
Everton are expected to name a new manager in the coming days and Niko Kovac, formerly of Bayern Munich, was in the stands alongside Farhad Moshiri at Goodison Park.
However they have also been linked with David Moyes, Eddie Howe, Mikel Arteta and Vitor Pereira.
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Negotiations with Pereira are believed to have started over the past few days but the sight of Kovac at Goodison suggests things aren’t as clear cut as they seem.
Although Goal claim to have spoken to Kovac and he has ruled himself out of the running and says he plans to attend several games in England over the next few weeks as he takes a break from managing.
Silva was sacked after the 5-2 Merseyside derby defeat that saw them drop into the bottom three.
But today’s win shoots them up to 14th, albeit before the 3pm kick offs, and is a sign of how tight things are in the bottom half of the table.