Everton defender Phil Jagielka says the disappointment from their 1-1 draw with Arsenal is proof of how far they've come.

"Football's a cruel game," he told evertonfc.com. "We've been dying to beat one of the top four for a while and tonight should have been the night. It shows how far we've come that we're disappointed only to take a point from Arsenal at home. It's frustrating but we'll wake up tomorrow and a point will be a point gained.":

Asked if he thought Everton had proven themselves as contenders for Champions League qualification, the England international was unhesitant.

"Yes, definitely," he declared. "We've been playing well of late, performed really well in both derbies and I think even if you look right back to the first half against Arsenal at Emirates we played really well. Like I say I'm as sick as a parrot with the end result but a point's better than nothing."