by As Sean Dyche said, any distraction is welcome at Everton at the moment amid the threat of a second point being deducted, lawsuits, financial disputes and not knowing exactly what they are playing for in the Premier League this season . André Gomes, the beauty of the beast in the FA Cup third round replay, provided one against Crystal Palace.
The former Barcelona and Portugal midfielder brightened up a scrappy contest with a superb free-kick to book Everton’s fourth-round home tie for Luton. It was Everton’s first direct goal from a free-kick in 197 games, stretching back as far as Lucas Digne’s effort at Lincoln in August 2019, and ended a six-match unbeaten run for Dyche’s side.
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The hosts were also indebted to another Portuguese asset, 24-year-old goalkeeper João Virgínia, who took a rare chance to replace Jordan Pickford to beat Palace with some fine saves, notably from Jeffrey Schlupp in stoppage time.
“It’s been tough on Evertonians and tough on the club,” said Dyche, following Everton’s latest accusation of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. “But mentally, we’ve been determined all season. We weren’t fluid in our play tonight but we found a way to win. We looked strong and that’s a good basis when you’re not playing well.”
Palace, as Roy Hodgson feared, missed their best chance to progress when Everton were reduced to ten men in the first encounter at Selhurst Park. The visitors offered little until the final minutes and Hodgson’s decision to withdraw Eberechi Eze after 64 minutes sparked a furious reaction from Palace fans who made the long midweek trip to Merseyside freezing.
David Wagner can look forward to a reunion with close friend Jürgen Klopp after a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium saw Liverpool reach the fourth round.
Matt Taylor’s League One side were worried when Luke McCormick fired them ahead after 20 minutes but Norwich made a second-half breakthrough with goals from Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean seeing them into the fourth round.
Rovers started the third round replay brightly. Former Norwich winner Chris Martin saw an early effort drift just wide then Luke Thomas’ header was comfortably saved by George Long, before the keeper reacted superbly to deny Antony Evans. It was only temporary relief for Norwich as from the following corner McCormick put the Gas in charge with a carefully low drive inside the penalty area.
Rovers and Thomas should have taken the lead just before half-time as the Norwich defense collapsed but he wasted an inviting opening and side-footed a goal wide from just outside the area. Rovers continued to enjoy the lead after the break and Thomas’ powerful shot was only kept out by Long and only desperate defending awaited the hosts as they sought a potentially decisive second goal .
Norwich got their attack together and were level on 53 minutes thanks to the brilliant Sara, who curled the ball home from close range after Sam McCallum’s effort hit a post with the Rovers defense at six and seven.
Rovers were soon back in front but were punished for their ambition when the Canaries sprung out on a quick counter-attack. The hosts were outnumbered as Norwich went ahead and were penalized when Connor Taylor brought down McLean in the box following a collision.
Andy Davies headed home and although Brentford loanee Cox got a hand to Idah’s penalty it was not enough to stop the ball curling over the line to give Norwich the lead in the 59th minute.
Rovers held on but Long brilliantly denied Martin’s equalizer as League One’s dream of a first visit to Anfield since 1992 faded. McLean sealed the win in the 87th minute with a long-range effort to calm Norwich’s nerves. PA Media
“I understand it completely,” said the Palace manager. “I’ve had to think about it carefully and I know there’s a long way to go and we appreciate their support. I would be disappointed to see Eze go because he is one of our best players, but I would also be disappointed if he was injured in the last 30 minutes and couldn’t play against Arsenal. [at 12.30pm on Saturday]. Even without him I felt we had a lot of chances but unfortunately we didn’t take them.”
The uncertainty is not just about Everton’s position in the Premier League. US investment firm 777 Partners is still awaiting word from the Premier League on its proposed takeover after announcing a deal with keen holiday owner Farhad Moshiri in September. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters told MPs’ culture, media and sport committee on Tuesday that the delay was due to a lack of satisfactory answers from the controversial company and that a final decision is still weeks away.
Whether it was a show of confidence or a mere coincidence, 777 representatives were present in the directors’ box after touring the club’s new stadium at Bramley Moore dock earlier in the day.
A replay that both managers could do without delay began and the first half followed the pattern of the Selhurst Park game: pedestrian, lack of quality and limited opportunities. Spectators, who were facing sub-zero temperatures, found no relief until Gomes added a moment of much-needed class to proceedings.
Everton’s careless approach was testing Goodison’s patience as Dyche’s side, completely out of context, took the lead in style. Gomes was deployed in a high role with Abdoulaye Doucouré facing another spell out with a hamstring injury and was running through when Jefferson Lerma was set down. The midfielder took the free-kick himself and curled an exquisite piece over the Palace wall and in off Sam Johnstone’s left post.
Palace ended the celebrations immediately when Odsonne Édouard and Eze combined to find Tyrick Mitchell unmarked on the left side of the Everton area. The back of the net connected but Virginia responded well when he went close.
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Eze had long been the visitors’ source of creativity, unsettling Everton’s defenders every time he ran at them, so there was understandable disappointment among Palace fans when he was substituted just after the hour and their teams behind. Hodgson’s decision was met with cheers and chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing”.
The veteran manager was close to the perfect answer, however, when Naouirou Ahamada, one of three substitutes, dispossessed Dwight McNeil and headed for Édouard. The striker deflected past James Tarkowski but his low shot was saved at the feet of Virginia as the keeper again came to Everton’s rescue. Substitute Pickford redeemed himself in stoppage time when he blocked Schlupp’s header at point blank range. A win and a distraction was just what Everton wanted.
