Ancelotti claims that two often criticised Everton players were ‘fantastic’ yesterday

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Everton threw away a two-goal lead in injury time last night, as they slipped up against Newcastle United.

Carlo Ancelotti has told Everton’s official website that Morgan Schneiderlin and Fabian Delph were ‘fantastic’ last night.

Everton somehow managed to throw away a 2-0 lead in their match against Newcastle United yesterday, as Steve Bruce’s side scored twice in injury time to claim a point.

The scoreline really didn’t reflect Everton’s dominance on the match, as Ancelotti’s side were the better team for almost the whole game.

And the Italian boss was keen to focus on the positives, despite such a poor finish.

“We had good balance, we tried to press forward. [Fabian] Delph and [Morgan] Schneiderlin did a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said.

“I have nothing to say to my players because they did really well.

“We could stay more focussed in the final minutes but they are really little things. We were punished too much after that performance.”

The praise for both Delph and Scheniderlin will surely please the midfield duo, as they have both been heavily criticised by their own fans this season.

Delph and Schneiderlin are not the most popular players at Goodison Park, but seem to have the backing of their manager for now.

Delph and Schneiderlin could have a good opportunity to nail down their first-team places now, as Everton are short of other options in central midfield as things stand.

It seems that Ancelotti would like to bring in a midfielder this month, with Emre Can heavily linked by Calcio Mercato, but whether Everton will be able to get a deal over the line remains to be seen.