O'Brien On Growing Belief In Blues' Camp

Jake O'Brien says there is a growing sense of belief in Everton's changing room after another impressive away performance earned the Blues a 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

Jack Grealish's deflected strike 12 minutes from the end was enough to clinch all three points and a first-ever Premier League victory for the Toffees at the Vitality Stadium.]

David Moyes' side climbed into the top half of the table with the result – their third win in the past four outings – and Republic of Ireland international O'Brien says the Blues will continue to look up the standings and chase the teams above them.

"We're buzzing," said O'Brien, who was named Sky Sports' Player of the Match after a superb individual display at centre-back. "We knew it'd be a difficult game coming here but we were confident and knew if we stuck together, stuck to the game plan and stayed solid we could get the goal and that's what we did.

"We were patient. We knew we'd create chances and we had the quality to take them. You see the quality Jack has and he got the one that was enough for the win in the end.

"We wanted to put it right after [the Newcastle defeat] because we were disappointed with the result. We did that so the next challenge is following it up because we've got another quick turnaround between our next game at the weekend.

"The mentality in the group is very good. We've got a strong group of lads and a lot of leaders in the changing room. Those things helped us bounce back. We knew we needed to put it behind us quickly because the next game was coming and we did that.

"It wasn't just the defenders making us solid but everyone played their part. The midfielders won the ball back a lot in midfield and got us up the pitch and the forward players kept it there, so it was a good all-round performance from everyone.

"We have belief. It's special to be part of this group and be looking upwards. We've got a lot of games over Christmas so we want to keep it going."

On the quality of match-winner Grealish, O'Brien added: "He's a top, top player. If you put him one-v-one with anyone, you'd fancy him to come out on top. 

"He's cut inside on one today and got the goal that won it for us today. 

"I'm sure he'll keep getting more goals and more assists for us because he has that quality."