Moyes challenges players to maintain lofty position

DAVID MOYES admitted he could only have dreamt Everton would be riding so high in the table at this stage of the season, but accepted the challenge now is to maintain their lofty position.

- By CARL MARKHAM

David Moyes speaks to his players during a training session at Finch Farm as Everton prepare for the trip to Chelsea

Four wins out of five have moved the Toffees to within a point of Manchester United and today’s opponents Chelsea in seventh and a rare win - they have not been victorious at Stamford Bridge since 1994 - would briefly lift them into fourth.

Tt is a remarkable achievement considering there were concerns in the summer over whether Moyes would be able to go into the campaign with a deep enough squad just in terms of numbers, let alone quality.

“I would have said it would be amazing, it was what I was probably dreaming and hoping we could probably do,” said Moyes when asked how he would have viewed their current position back in August.

“We have lots of data people around the place and I don’t know whether they would see Chelsea being a point more than us, with the difference in the spend.

“But we are pleased. We are on a good run and we know it could easily change.

“We've won four out of five, but it could go the other way and it wouldn’t necessarily mean that you are doing that badly, I just think the league is that tight.

‘But if we want to keep ourselves in and around it we are going to have to keep picking up big results like we did at Old Traf-ford, like we did at Bournemouth, winning a home game against Nottingham Forest.”