Roberto Martinez says the fans in the Gwladys Street helped force Everton FC’s dramatic equaliser against West Ham United.
And the Blues boss says Romelu Lukaku’s goal in the dying stages on Tuesday night has helped the players to start rebuilding their confidence.
Everton welcome reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to Goodison this afternoon and Martinez believes a win will “kick-start” their season.
But the Catalan knows the players need to receive the same level of backing from the crowd as they did in midweek if they are to prevail.
“We knew we had four bad results before that in the league,” said Martinez.
“But the reality is that it is only against Hull that I saw a real effect on the confidence after we conceded a goal.
“I had never seen us suffering with confidence. We have always been on the front foot and affecting things and playing in a way that we want to win games.
“But there was a moment against Hull City where I did feel we were a little low as a team, confidence wise.
“But to get the reaction from the crowd on Tuesday…the fans were phenomenal and you could feel the Gwladys Street forcing the ball into the net and allowing us to get that confidence back.
“We got a lot of positives out of how we performed against West Ham and I do feel we can gradually grow back into the level it was last season.
“Games like Manchester City will be a great opportunity to achieve that because, even though we know the level of the opposition, we are playing at home with the belief we can beat anybody.”
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