Everton midfielder James McCarthy believes Ross Barkley is more than capable of handling the highs and lows which accompany the tremendous expectation which rests on his shoulders . The 1-0 victory over Southampton , courtesy of captain Phil Jagielka 's fifth goal of the season , was a case in point . In the first half he produced a brilliant piece of control and skill to skip past three opponents and launch an attack from deep inside his own half which brought Goodison Park to its feet . Everton midfielder James McCarthy believes Ross Barkley is capable of handling the pressure on him . McCarthy ( left ) said he thought Barkley was 'different class ' despite a mistake with an ambitious pass . However , when his ambitious pass after the break gifted possession to the visitors the all-too familiar sound of loud groans echoed around the ground . Then , to cap it all , manager Roberto Martinez 's decision to replace him with 20 minutes to go - a requirement to help shore up a tight game - was greeted with disagreement and boos . It is difficult to know what Barkley , who was lauded for two substitute appearances for England in the last 10 days , thought of it , but McCarthy is confident the youngster can deal with the complexities and confusion which appear to surround most of his performances . ' I think Ross was different class , ' he said . ' I thought he worked really hard for the team and was a real nuisance driving at people and it was brilliant to see him high in confidence having been away with England . Barkley was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go at Goodison Park , a decision that brought boos from the crowd . 'Ross is a good lad and has his feet firmly on the ground and has a lot of people at the club looking after him . 'He wo n't get carried away . We have a lot of characters , a lot of experienced heads in the dressing room and there is no better place to be for him . ' Aside from Jagielka 's 16th-minute goal , giving the centre-back his best tally in eight years at the club , the only other notable action saw goalkeeper Tim Howard claw away Graziano Pelle 's early shot from under his crossbar and throw out a hand , while diving the wrong way , to stop James Ward-Prowse 's strike . Everton achieved what they were unable to do earlier in the season and ground out victory to make it three successive wins , moving them to 11th in the table , with the relegation fears of a couple of weeks ago now a thing of the past . With nothing to play for in their remaining seven matches McCarthy believes the motivation is to remain unbeaten until the end of the campaign . McCarthy is confident youngster Barkley can deal with the complexities of his sometimes indifferent form . 'We want to kick on , go on a winning run and finish the season strongly , ' he added . 'We have won three games and we want to go unbeaten until the end of the season , although that is easier said than done . 'There has been a big improvement . So far , so good , but we wo n't get carried away . 'The most important thing was to get three points and dig in deep to secure it with a clean sheet . ' With leading scorer Romelu Lukaku not quite ready to return after a hamstring injury , the onus was on other players to step up , but few would have bet on Jagielka being the match winner against Saints . Everton secured a 1-0 victory over Southampton , courtesy of captain Phil Jagielka 's fifth goal of the season . 'He is different class . He is brilliant to have at the club and is a true leader on the pitch , ' said McCarthy . ' A lot of people have been saying the last few weeks he has been exceptional , but for me he has been outstanding throughout the campaign and he is chipping in with goals . ' Southampton boss Ronald Koeman conceded his side 's Champions League hopes were now over , but was still keen to secure European football next season . Southampton boss Ronald Koeman conceded his side 's Champions League hopes were now over . 'European football for the club will be a great success if we reach it , ' he said . 'If we showed the ambition we showed ( against Everton ) then we will have a good chance . ' Italy international Pelle has not scored in nine matches for his club - he did manage one against England in midweek - but Koeman still backs him . 'Pelle is struggling but that is football , it is normal . If I do n't have confidence I do n't pick him in the line-up , ' he added .
Everton beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon . Ross Barkley showed his skill but made an error that saw the crowd groan . Team-mate James McCarthy is confident he can deal with the pressure .