The Everton captain won the ball but was shown the yellow card by Alan Wiley.

“There was no doubt it was a good tackle so Phil shouldn’t, in any way, be getting questioned about it. I don’t think you can rescind a yellow card, can you?

“But I didn’t think for a minute he was going to get a card. Even if he had been a touch late, you would have to say that Vidic’s tackle (on Saha) was a touch late as well,” Moyes told the Liverpool Daily Post.

“I heard a right crack, I was worried (for Louis) when I saw it, I thought something had gone. Did I think Neville was going to get a red card? No, I didn’t.

“I thought he might have been a touch late in getting there when I first saw it, but now I’ve had a chance to see it again he was spot on.

“There should be a few (of their players) going to Phil Neville saying, ‘Hey, we got that wrong, good tackle lad’.

“The worst tackle in the game was no doubt Vidic on Louis Saha. We had Tim Cahill sent off in a similar area of the field (against Liverpool) and are you telling me that his warranted a red and that one warranted a yellow?”

Moyes refused to be critical of Ronaldo for his reaction.

“You’re asking me to get involved in things which I really don’t want to,” Moyes added. “All I can say is that, at the time, I wasn’t sure if Phil had been a second late, but since I’ve seen it, it’s clear it was a terrific tackle.

“It was a spot-on tackle from an honest professional who was determined to try and get his result today and that for me was great to see.

“I like players who wear their heart on the sleeve and he certainly does for us.”

Louis Saha has urged his new Everton teammates to shake-off their Carling Cup disappointment and focus on this weekend’s derby against Liverpool.

“It was a very disappointing night,” Saha told The Liverpool Echo of Everton’s defeat to Blackburn.

“The only positive we can take from the game is a reaction to put it right. We are determined to do that, as we know we did not play well against Blackburn.

“Credit to Blackburn. They had a game plan and they stuck to it. It wasn’t as if we were playing at home against a team that we should have beaten, but we still feel that we should have done much better.

“I know we are a hard working team and when we are faced with games like this (against Liverpool) we usually take the opportunity to show that. It was a difficult night but we still have new players adapting to things here. It has been a bit of a rush.

“We wanted to have some more games to get to know to each other but we have been denied that now by losing to Blackburn. We thought this was a good opportunity to win a trophy, so it is all the more disappointing to have gone out so soon.”

Saha added: “It was nice to get 90 minutes under my belt. I still need some time to adapt but I am quite happy with my fitness.

“There were good signs between myself and Yak, but again it is going to take time.”

BBC Sport says Moyes is close to agreeing a new five-year contract with the Merseyside club worth more than £17m.

The Scot is expected to sign before the Liverpool derby on 27 September.