Everton defender Phil Jagielka says striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni is key to any success this season in the UEFA Cup.

He told evertonTV: "We were disappointed not to have Yak for the Reading game but that has gone now, everybody is all smiles now - especially Yak.

"He did really well and he proved it by the way he ran around and did a hell of a lot for the team."

With a third of the season remaining, the Blues are going strong in both the Premier League and the Uefa Cup and Jagielka can see no reason why the success can't continue.

He added: "If we can keep building on the defensive success we are having throughout the team and Yak, AJ, Victor and Vaughany can sneak in with a few more goals - hopefully we will climb the league table and hopefully go far in the Uefa Cup."