Dwight McNeil has hailed Everton’s response to their mauling by Chelsea.
McNeil closed the scoring as Sean Dyche’s side moved five points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Next up for the Blues is a midweek Merseyside derby with Liverpool followed by a third home game in a week against fellow relegation rivals Brentford.
And McNeil believes the strength of character on display against Forest was vital after the six-goal humiliation at Stamford Bridge just six days prior.
He said: “We knew that our performance on Monday was nowhere near good enough.
“We were awful all game and we knew we had to make it right by getting three points [against Forest].
“The lads did well to grind out a difficult game. Now, we have got to build on that going into a big week ahead.
“We are an experienced group, and a lot of the lads have been in this position before where we are, so we have got that experience behind us, which is always helpful.
“Luckily, we had another game in the same week, and it comes around fast.”
McNeil also insists that there is no sense of panic in the ranks at Goodison Park as the club aims to win its third relegation battle in as many seasons.
“I think we are experienced in the group that we have got. No one is panicking as such, everyone is quite calm and relaxed,” added the winger.
“After Monday, we knew we weren’t good enough, we assessed it and then we parked it straight away.
“To bounce back was the main thing for the group and for the team’s morale.
“We have got five games left and they are all massive.”