Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard hailed the performance of Phil Jagielka after their draw at QPR.

Jagielka followed up back-to-back England caps with a man of the match performance in Everton's 1-1 draw at Loftus Road on Sunday.

Howard told evertontv: "Jags was immense. He's grown and grown and looks like he'll cement himself in the England team playing like that.

"He's been doing that for us for years. He's a player who does his own job and at the risk of making a mistake he'll try and cover for everyone else on the field too. He's a leader, he's solid, and he was an animal against QPR.

"It was a classic centre-half performance - he was everywhere. It was just one of those nights you knew he wasn't going to get beaten. He's been a rock for us for a long time and we need him to have the momentum going into the derby."