Dan James conceded that the "better team" won after Everton beat Leeds 3-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday.
And the winger noted the significant impact Blues fans played in the stirring victory.
The Toffees were 2-0 up by half time thanks to goals from Seamus Coleman and Michael Keane.
Anthony Gordon added a third late on to seal a perfect afternoon for Frank Lampard in his first Premier League home game in charge.
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The win left Everton a point behind Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who are currently just one place above the Toffees in 15th.
Leeds forward James admitted that his side didn’t get off to the best of starts and simply couldn’t find a way back into the game.
"When the crowd got behind them they looked like a great team. We tried to control the game a bit more but we didn't start at the races," James told LUTV .
"They were on the front foot and put us under pressure.
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"We just didn't deal with it well. The crowd really got behind them and that worked in their favour. The early goal killed us a little bit. They were the better team today.
"We had to try and work to get back into the game and we couldn't. We had to keep creating chances but they got their second.
"We still believed we could get back into it. We all believe in ourselves, it just wasn't our day."
Next up for Everton is a trip to Southampton on Saturday 19 February.