Moyes was asked about the decision to bring Phillips on to try and see out the game in his post-match press conference, to which he explained: “I actually thought at that time when we went 3-1 up, Newcastle were the better team and still were. I thought an extra midfield player would give us more control in the middle of the pitch. Obviously, it didn’t work.
“We needed a defensive structure that could be steady and see themselves through. We tried to find it by the change (Phillips on). We tried to find something that would give us more structure and a bit more organisation.
“But I have to say, before the penalty kick, Newcastle missed two big chances in the middle of the goal, so that was the reason we made the change, not because we were thinking we were winning 3-1. They had missed big chances and I was trying to make sure we weren’t going to lose and make the change in a positive fashion. We tried to make it at that time, and obviously, it didn’t work out. But I’m not going to say anything about any player. I wouldn’t do that, it would be wrong.”
