As Sean Dyche put it, any distraction is welcome at Everton right now amid the threat of a second points deduction, legal cases, financial disputes and not knowing exactly what they are playing for in the Premier League this season. André Gomes, the beauty in a beast of an FA Cup third round replay, provided one against Crystal Palace.
The former Barcelona and Portugal midfielder illuminated a scrappy contest with a superb free-kick to book Everton a fourth round tie at home to Luton. It was Everton’s first goal direct from a free-kick in 197 games, stretching back to Lucas Digne’s effort at Lincoln in August 2019, and ended a run of six matches without a win for Dyche’s team.
The hosts were also indebted to another Portuguese asset, the 24-year-old goalkeeper João Virgínia, who seized a rare chance in place of Jordan Pickford to repel Palace with several fine saves, particularly from Jeffrey Schlupp in stoppage time.
“It has been tough for Evertonians and tough for the club,” said Dyche, after Everton’s latest charge of breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules. “But mentally we have been resolute all season. We were not fluid in our play tonight but we found a way to win. We looked solid and that’s a good base when you don’t play well.”
Palace, as Roy Hodgson must have 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 closing minutes and Hodgson’s decision to withdraw Eberechi Eze after 64 minutes sparked a furious reaction from the Palace fans who had made the long midweek trek to a freezing Merseyside.
David Wagner can look forward to a reunion with his close friend Jürgen Klopp after a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium secured a fourth-round tie at Liverpool.
Matt Taylor's League One side threatened an upset when Luke McCormick fired them ahead after 20 minutes but Norwich rallied in the second half with goals from Gabriel Sara, Adam Idah and Kenny McLean seeing them into round four.
Rovers began the third-round replay brightly. The former Norwich striker Chris Martin saw an early effort drift just wide then Luke Thomas's header was comfortably saved by George Long, before the keeper had to react superbly to deny Antony Evans. It proved to be only temporary respite for Norwich as from the subsequent corner McCormick put the Gas in command with a carefully placed low drive from just inside the penalty area.
Rovers and Thomas should have doubled the lead just before half-time as the Norwich defence fell apart but he wasted an inviting opening and side-footed wide of Long's goal from just outside the area. Rovers continued to enjoy the upper hand after the break and only a fine, low save by Long kept out Thomas' powerfully struck shot and only desperate defending kept the hosts at bay as they pressed for a potentially decisive second goal.
Norwich got their attacking act together and were level on 53 minutes thanks to the impressive Sara, who bundled the ball home from close range after Sam McCallum's effort struck a post with the Rovers defence at sixes and sevens.
Rovers were soon back on the front but were punished for their ambition when they were caught out on a swift counterattack by the marauding Canaries. The hosts were left outnumbered as Norwich poured forward and were punished when Connor Taylor brought down McLean in the box following a collision.
Andy Davies pointed to the spot and while Brentford loanee Cox got a hand to Idah's penalty it was not enough to stop the ball from spinning over the line to give Norwich a 59th-minute lead.
Rovers kept going but Martin was brilliantly denied an equaliser by Long as the League One side's dreams of a first visit to Anfield since 1992 faded. McLean sealed victory in the 87th minute with a long-range effort to ease Norwich nerves. PA Media
“I absolutely understand it,” said the Palace manager. “I had to think very carefully about it and I appreciate it’s a long way to come and we appreciate their support. I’d have been disappointed to see Eze come off because he’s one of our best players, but I’d also have been disappointed if he’d got injured in the last 30 minutes and wasn’t able to play against Arsenal [at 12.30pm on Saturday]. Even without him I felt we had enough chances but unfortunately we didn’t take them.”
Uncertainty not only surrounds Everton’s Premier League position. The US investment firm 777 Partners is still awaiting word from the Premier League on its proposed takeover having announced a deal with the eager-to-leave owner, Farhad Moshiri, in September. Richard Masters, the Premier League’s CEO, told the culture, media and sport committee of MPs on Tuesday that the delay was down to a lack of satisfactory answers from the controversial company and a final decision remains weeks away.
Whether as a show of confidence or mere coincidence, several 777 representatives were in attendance in the directors’ box having toured the club’s new stadium at Bramley Moore dock earlier in the day.
There was a subdued start to a replay both managers could have done without and the first half followed the pattern of the Selhurst Park game: pedestrian, lacking quality and with opportunities limited. Spectators numbed by the sub-zero temperatures found no respite until Gomes injected a moment of much-needed class into proceedings.
Everton’s careless approach play was testing Goodison’s patience when, completely out of context, Dyche’s side took the lead in style. Gomes was deployed in an advanced role with Abdoulaye Doucouré facing another spell out with a hamstring injury and was running through when felled by Jefferson Lerma. The midfielder took the free-kick himself and curled an exquisite set piece over the Palace wall and in off Sam Johnstone’s left post.
Palace almost curtailed the celebrations immediately when Odsonne Édouard and Eze combined to find Tyrick Mitchell unmarked on the left of the Everton area. The wing-back connected cleanly but Virgínia reacted well to tip over at close range.
Eze was by far the visitors’ most creative source, unsettling Everton defenders every time he ran at them, and so there was understandable dismay among the Palace fans when he was substituted just after the hour with their team trailing. Hodgson’s decision was met with boos and chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing”.
The veteran manager was close to conjuring the perfect response, however, when Naouirou Ahamada, one of a triple substitution, dispossessed Dwight McNeil and centred for Édouard. The striker spun away from James Tarkowski but his low shot was saved by the legs of Virgínia as the keeper again came to Everton’s rescue. Pickford’s deputy excelled himself in stoppage time when blocking Schlupp’s header at point-blank range. Victory and a distraction were just what Everton required.
