Roberto Martinez: Everton punished in Europa League

       

Everton manager Roberto Martinez refused to blame his defence after watching his team concede five goals in a Europa League defeat by Dynamo Kiev.

The Blues surrendered a 2-1 first-leg lead to exit 6-4 at the last-16 stage, with two poor first-half clearances gifting Dynamo key goals on the night.

"A couple of times we made defensive mistakes, but there was also some incredible finishing," said Martinez.

Everton's exit means no English sides remain in European competition.

After levelling on the night through Romelu Lukaku, the Toffees went behind to goals from Lukasz Teodorczyk, Miguel Veloso and Oleg Gusev.

"Once we scored the away goal, I thought we would be stronger and tighter in our performance, but it was the kind of night where everything they tried went into the back of the net," said Martinez.

"I agree there were instances when we could have defended better, but there is not a lot you can do about goals that go right into the top corner."

Unlucky Everton?
Everton had 20 shots to Dynamo's 17 in Kiev, with Ross Barkley hitting the post twice. The Blues also had nine corners to the home side's five.

Andriy Yarmolenko's opener and a wonder strike from Atunes - Dynamo's fifth - each left goalkeeper Tim Howard clutching at thin air.

But Everton's central defensive partnership of Phil Jagielka, who scored a late consolation, and Antolin Alcaraz struggled throughout.

"I think it is a case of the whole team not defending well enough," added Martinez. "I don't think it was a case of the personnel."

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