Roberto Martinez praises character of Everton side after fightback draw against Leicester

Everton manager Roberto Martinez admitted his side were "pedestrian" against Leicester but praised their character after they fought back to draw 2-2.

The Toffees looked to be heading for defeat at Goodison Park until Matthew Upson diverted a cross into his own net in the dying stages.

But the final whistle was still greeted by boos from some fans after a disappointing display from Everton, who have not won at home in the league for over two months.

“It’s one of those performances that comes on the back of playing in Europe,” Martinez, whose side beat Young Boys 4-1 in Bern in midweek, told Sky Sports.

Scoring the first goal is always the hardest moment but once we did that we didn’t control the play as we should have done

“We looked a little bit pedestrian but we knew it was going to be a difficult game. Scoring the first goal is always the hardest moment but once we did that we didn’t control the play as we should have done. The two goals we gave away were quite soft for our standards.”

After taking the lead through Steven Naismith, Everton needed the late own goal to rescue a point after David Nugent and Esteban Cambiasso had made it 2-1 to the Foxes.

“The character we showed to get a point out of a game was a fantastic sign,” said Martinez. “It was very difficult when we were behind because Leicester had 10 bodies behind the ball.

“It’s a great footballing compliment when teams come here and set up with many bodies behind the ball, but at times there is frustration breaking teams down and that shows through.”

Goalkeeper Tim Howard pushed Jamie Vardy's shot into the path of Nugent, before flapping at a cross in the run-up to Cambiasso's goal but Martinez refused to blame his goalkeeper.

"I don't see Tim as directly responsible of the draw," Martinez said.

"The first one is quite an unlucky action. He gets in some sort of a block, it hits John Stones' legs and it ends up in the Leicester striker's footpath. We have three players around him and it ends up with him.

"I don't think it would solve anything if we just single out the player who made that mistake. As a team we need to defend much better in those situations."

Martinez also defended the performance of Romelu Lukaku, who scored a hat-trick against Young Boys in the Europa League on Thursday but missed a couple of excellent chances against the Foxes.

“We were travelling back from Switzerland and it was a demanding fixture for us,” he added. “He had two clear-cut chances that he worked hard for with his movement and forced the equaliser at the end, it was a very effective performance.

“You look at the freshness he had on Thursday and you can’t get that with so many games, but having the maturity and responsibility on the pitch was very important from our point of view.”

Sky Sports subscribers can sign in to watch extended highlights of Everton v Leicester from Goodison Park.