Baines hails Coleman’s battling qualities for Everton

Leighton Baines described fellow full-back Seamus Coleman as a ‘leader’ after the Irish international salvaged a point for Everton with a last-gasp equaliser against Swansea.

The Swans looked like they were heading to their first win under manager Bob Bradley – only for Coleman to pop up in the 89th minute.

And while a draw against the Premier League’s bottom club is hardly an ideal result, Baines admits it would have been worse if not for Coleman’s never-say-die attitude.

“Credit to Seamus – as always, he kept on trying to do the right things and trying to drive the team forward,” Baines said. “His energy is always terrific and you could see how much it meant to him scoring the goal.

“He’s one of our leaders in the team really. He popped up and it was pure determination to get us back in the game and he came up with the goods.”

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

A fit-again Baines was making his first appearance in two months and the Toffees have struggled in his absence, having won just once in their last seven Premier League games.

“It’s a game we obviously wanted to win, expected to win, but we started a bit slower than we would have liked,” added the England international. “We kept pushing and working hard but didn’t really create a great deal of chances. But we fought and got a point in the end.”