Moyes in search for Everton's missing magic

The Everton manager, David Moyes, is still searching for the magic formula to turn his nearly men into champions.

His side were brave but ultimately failed in their efforts to reach the Carling Cup final on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to Chelsea at Goodison Park to seal a 3-1 aggregate defeat.

Moyes knows his team, however hard they have tried over the two legs of the semi-final, are not quite good enough to upset a top-four club. Now he has put the Uefa Cup at the top of his wish list, with the last 32 tie against Brann Bergen next month.

"We need to find that something extra. I want to be able to talk after a big game knowing we have got the right result," he said. "We now need to find that bit that gets a team in among the top four, the bit that gets you the results you need in semi-finals and finals. And to win finals. We must find that bit extra that makes you a top club who always win when it matters.

"We did not do anything wrong, we did not play badly. We just need that bit extra to get us right in among the best."

He added: "I felt we did okay. It just wasn't quite good enough. We did not have that special player to finish when things drop in the box.

"We were not poor, we passed it well and tried everything we could. "But [Chelsea's holding midfielder Claude] Makelele was fantastic, their defenders excellent and the goalkeeper, Petr Cech, outstanding. Now we must look to the Uefa Cup.

"Hopefully, experiences like this will help us. But I want to find the magic formula that takes you from being close but not winning, to being able to say we have won something important."

A second-half Joe Cole goal finished off Everton's attempts to reach Wembley. And Moyes said: "The players gave it a real go, I cannot fault their effort. I can fault the lack of 'Lady Luck' when the ball fell in the box. But was that us not being quick enough or in the right place, I don't know.

"They are a terrific side, great on the counter-attack, but their goal was one long pass and they were in behind us. I was disappointed with that, because we were beaten by one pass from the back."