David Moyes says Sunderland must win five of final 12 league matches

David Moyes believes Sunderland must win five of their remaining 12 Premier League matches to avoid relegation and that another feat of escapology is not beyond the division’s basement club.

Sunderland remain rooted to the bottom of the table following their 2-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday and three points from safety after Patrick van Aanholt, their former player, gave Crystal Palace a crucial victory against Middlesbrough.

Moyes’s team have won only five of their 26 league matches so far and a bonding trip to New York failed to ignite an immediate response at Goodison Park where goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Romelu Lukaku gave Everton a routine win. However, the former Everton and Manchester United manager has insisted that his players can double their win tally over the final 12 matches, and must do so to remain a Premier League club.

Moyes said: “I don’t know how many points it will take but I’ve an idea I’m going to have to win about 10 games to give myself any chance so I’ve got a bit of work to do between now and the end of the season. I believe that we’ll get on a good run somewhere along the line.

“I don’t think it’s too late. We’ve got a tough run – the next game is Manchester City so I’m not kidding myself. We’re in a couple of games where we just have to stick with it but I think Sunderland have been in a lower state than this and come from behind. I still believe there’s a run. I still think we can win three or four games somewhere – and we are going to have to do that in the run-in.”

Sunderland were four points better off at the same stage last season and survived after winning three, drawing seven and losing only two of the final 12 games under Sam Allardyce. Despite a deserved defeat against his former club, Moyes claimed there was evidence against Everton that his team can conjure a similar escape this season.

“It’s happened here before at Sunderland where they’ve had a good run,” he said. “The way football works sometimes is that you never see it coming. So I’ve got to believe it’s going to happen.

“I thought there were bits in the second half that gave us a wee bit of hope. The players have given a lot, they’ve run as hard as they can but what we are lacking is quality in different areas and that can let you down, whether it’s passing, crossing, finishing, defending. We are just lacking a little bit at important times.

“We know if we can get the ball to Jermain [Defoe] he will get a shot away or an opportunity. We are not getting him enough service but it is because we are not getting enough good ball further up the pitch. We are scrapping to get that. I need those players, and we paid big money for a lot of them, we need them all to stand up and show what they can do.”

Lukaku’s second-half strike was his 60th Premier League goal for Everton – equalling Duncan Ferguson’s club record in the competition. The Belgium international admitted Ferguson, now first-team coach under Ronald Koeman, has been challenging him to break the record this season and win the Golden Boot. Lukaku is joint-leading scorer with Alexis Sánchez and Harry Kane on 17 Premier League goals. “He spoke to me about it in a way to keep me sharp and test me, which is fine,” the Everton striker said. “Football is like that – you have to test yourself and put yourself through these moments if you want to improve. He has been winding me up about the record but he knows it is for a good cause. He wants me to help the team-mates win and I want to win. I am a winner and I want to win as much as I can and score as many goals as I can. I’m happy.”

Lukaku has yet to sign a new contract with Everton despite his agent, Mino Raiola, announcing before Christmas that a deal was 99.9% done. That has increased doubts over the former Chelsea forward’s future but he said: “I don’t want to talk about the future. For me the future is Tottenham Hotspur [Everton’s opponents on Sunday].”