Martinez remains defiant in wake of another defeat

Roberto Martinez refused to answer questions about his future after Everton slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Sunderland in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Patrick van Aanholt’s free-kick and Lamine Kone’s close-range double secured the points for Sunderland that keep Sam Allardyce’s side in the top flight, consequently relegating Newcastle United and Norwich City.

The defeat at the Stadium of Light means Everton have just one win from their last 10 league outings, with Martinez’s position coming under increasing scrutiny as fans have voiced their disapproval in recent weeks.

When asked if he still expects to be in charge at the end of the season, Martinez told Sky Sports: “That’s not a question.”

Despite another disappointing defeat, the Spaniard continued to see the positives in the work-rate of his players.

“We need to win football games, and when you don’t do that, [pressure] is normal,” he said. 

“I’m pleased with the effort and intent of the players, we want to make sure we get a performance that could give us a good feeling to finish the season.

“We are a team and we lost a game and what we want to do now is get that winning feeling.”

Martinez added to BBC Sport: “The effort we put in deserved a lot more and you have to congratulate Sunderland, they had a lot of intent.

“We never dropped our arms, we kept pushing and we kept creating the best chances towards the end but we couldn’t use that to our advantage.

“Now we have another game to finish the season and make sure it ends in a better feeling. We have to fight hard to turn it around.

“We need to assess and work really, really precisely on what’s needed but there’s still a game to play and we want to get that winning feeling.”