Howls were greeting every sideways pass and the now weekly appeals for direct action were growing in ferocity. end of the tether has been hovering dangerously into view for a while, but Martinez was left in no doubt the Gwladys Street had located it as Everton’s players momentarily stood damned on their own turf.
They could either wilt or respond. It is to the players’ credit they took the latter option to take a first leg lead to Kiev. They may even welcome the verbal volley they were experiencing from the stands, as they’ve been looking for a catalyst to raise the tempo for eight months.
“It has to be a turning point for us because the crowd is intelligent and know we are honest and try to play our best football,” said Martinez.
“You saw the anxiety for 25 minutes but when we get the tempo and expression we are a good team. It’s a moment where we need each other and we need to take that into the league.
