Marco Silva has hailed Everton fans for creating an ‘amazing’ Merseyside derby atmosphere.
The Blues were able to frustrate Liverpool with a determined display that saw Sunday’s 200th league meeting between the sides end in a goalless stalemate.
Jurgen Klopp’s side saw their latest bid for a long-awaited Premier League title dented in a result which signalled a potential turning point for their local rivals.
And Silva was full of praise for the cauldron-like environment that the home supporters provided at the Grand Old Lady throughout the derby encounter.
He said: “In my opinion, one of the most important things happened this afternoon. The atmosphere in our stadium was fantastic, amazing.
“In the pre-match press conference, I said that the fans could play a key part in the match, and they were really the 12th player on the pitch, no doubt about that.
“I know it’s a special match, a derby, but if you could put this atmosphere, 70 or 80 per cent of it, every match, then 30 or 40 per cent of our job is done.
“Because they can push our team to win, and they can make it really difficult for all our opponents, as they did this afternoon.
“We expect that they do that again in the next home match, because they can be a key player every time we play at Goodison.”