David Moyes refused to give details on Jack Grealish's absence from the squad as Everton beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup to reach the quarter-finals. The club confirmed before kick-off that Grealish had been omitted due to a disciplinary breach, reported to be a missed training session.
Moyes backs club decision
Moyes said: "You probably know I am not going to give any details. It is a club decision and I support it." Asked if he felt let down by the actions of the first £100million English footballer, the 63-year-old added: "It is something I don't want to speak too much about."
Team values praised
The incident could have been a distraction, but Moyes was pleased with how the rest of the squad coped. He said: "The one thing about Everton is that they have got real good values, all the players stand behind it and accept the values, on the pitch and off the pitch. I think the players did a good job tonight, it is a small squad but we are doing our best to keep challenging."
He added: "It was a tough game but I think the Premier League is like this, games are quite close, you can be defending for 20 minutes and then attacking. We got the goals at good times, the third goal killed the game off but really pleased to get through, you can talk about cup games, the only thing that really matters is you want to get through."
Quarter-final reward
On the prospect of a trip to League Two Fleetwood Town in the quarter-finals, Moyes said: "I didn't phrase it that way and say anything to the players at all. This was a big Premier League game really and trying to win any isn't easy. What we have next you have to take in your stride. Anyone who beats Arsenal is doing a good job."
