Gerard Houllier: “When you are fighting relegation you need to know every point is valuable.
“I know people would have been disappointed with a draw but if a draw had come I would have taken it.
“We knew, even before this game, that we had our fate in our own hands.
“We started a new league of eight games. This is a new league for us.
“We know what we want to do and there’s commitment.
“We have control of our fate. If we show our qualities – particularly our battling qualities because that’s what it is at the moment – you need to know every point is vital.
"Stiliyan Petrov played two games last week and earned his 100th cap, (for Bulgaria) so I didn’t play him at Everton but I told him in the middle of the week that he would be involved. He trained hard and looked fitter.
“His experience allied to his skill bought a lot. I also knew we needed someone with a long pass to switch play because Newcastle are very good at defending and squeezing.”