Everton boss David Moyes believes Hull counterpart Phil Brown is paying the price for keeping the Tigers in the Premiership last season. Only a couple of weeks ago the Tigers boss appeared to be one match away from the sack but four points from two games seems to have given him some breathing space.

Moyes believes that start to their debut season has now come back to haunt Brown.

"Phil has done a very good job. He got them up, they had an unbelievable start to the Premier League and the way it worked for them has not gone in his favour," the Toffees boss said.

"If they had stayed up by the skin of their teeth people might have said he had done a great job but because they got so far up and then dropped away it was more noticeable.

"He kept them in the Premier League - would anyone else have expected an awful lot more from his first season?

"I think he is there or thereabouts this season. They are out of the bottom three at this moment in time and I think for Phil and Hull that is positive for them."