Roberto Martinez has praised goalkeeper Joel Robles for his performance during Everton's 2-1 win over Southampton.

The 23-year-old, who came in for the suspended Tim Howard, was beaten by a long-range strike by Gaston Ramirez, but his manager defended him and was pleased with his overall contribution to the game.

"Joel is blaming himself but I don't think that's the case. When you watch the replay, it's different, but watching it live - these balls can swerve anywhere when you hit them well," Martinez told the club's official website.

"I thought he had a good game. He was in control of his box and showed good understanding alongside two centre-halves he hadn't played with before. He had a very good debut and wouldn't have deserved to be in a drawing side."

Everton moved up to fourth place in the Premier League table following today's result.